One summer day
by Silent Comet
Summary: The Scouts find the G-Boys out on the sea. They bring them back to the palace and our guys have to put up with ALL of the scouts!!! (Takes place in Crystal Tokyo and not Usagi centered.) *Complete*
1. Is that a shark?!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Prologue  
  
The beginning takes place on a private beach in Crystal Tokyo. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury are the only ones here. I'm using their planet names because I think it sounds cooler. Another change I made is now the girls can use their powers without transforming. Mars can flick little fireballs and start fires, Mercury can freeze things (and people), Neptune can shoot water.ect.Also, I made Serenity into a better queen, and I don't like Mamoru, so he's not in here. Well, enjoy!  
  
"I'm going to have such a tan line after today." Venus moaned as she let her bikini strap snap back into place. She brushed a few strands of blond hair off her back and looked over at Mercury. "Geez, why are you reading? We're on vacation!"  
  
Mercury stretched her feet out under her umbrella before answering. "I know we're on vacation, but learning can never take a break. You should be studying too-" She was cut off by a shriek from the waterside. Venus and Mercury both darted across the sand to Jupiter, the source of the shriek. She and Mars were standing next to their half-completed sand castle.  
  
Mars turned to Mercury and Venus and pointed out into the calm water. "Look it's a shark!"  
  
Mercury sighed and took off her glasses. "There are no sharks in the Crystal Sea, Mars."  
  
"Then what do you call that?!" Jupiter imitated Mars and stabbed her finger towards the sea.  
  
Mercury put her glasses back on and squinted in the direction of the 'shark'. All she could make out was a dark spot in the water. Sand prickled against her legs as Venus skidded to a halt and handed her a pair of binoculars. "Thanks." Putting her glasses on top of her head, she pressed the binoculars to her eyes and looked to the black spot.  
  
"It's a raft! And there are people on it! Uh oh."  
  
Jupiter grabbed Mercury's arm. "What is it?!"  
  
Mercury slowly lowered the binoculars. "They're not moving."  
  
There was a long silence. Venus stepped forward. "Mercury, go and call the palace for help. Explain what you saw and tell them to bring what these people might need. There's a cell phone in my bag." Mercury took off towards the bags. "Mars, Jupiter, we have to get that raft to shore. Lets go!" All three nodded and splashed into the water.  
  
Being Sailor Senshi, they did not wear out easily, but the raft was several miles out, and by the time they reached it, the three were beginning the feel the effects of such a swim. Venus, Jupiter and Mars all bobbed up on opposite sides of the small raft. There were five people lying inside, three covered by a long, white jacket or cloak of some sort, and the other two had jackets over their heads. "To keep them from the sun."Mars muttered.  
  
"Come on, let's get them back to shore." Jupiter said as she took hold of one of the few bungee cords holding the inflatable raft together. The other two each grabbed a cord and started swimming.  
  
Hmmmm, I wonder who these five people are??? Well, how was that for a first chapter. I could've made it longer, but I have to get to sleep. Please R&R!!!! But if you have any serious suggestions, email me at mmj15@aol.com Good Night! 


	2. Introductions

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Hey, it's me, your favorite author, Comet. Back to you again with a second chapter. There's some weird stuff in this one, but before you flame at me about it read the endnote!!! Here it goes, enjoy!  
  
Venus, Jupiter and Mars were just pulling the raft into the sand when Uranus's Hyperion skidded into a parking space. Pluto, Uranus and Neptune jumped out of the car and hurried across the beach to the water. Pluto dropped her bag and knelt next to the raft. Everyone gathered behind her in silence. Pluto slowly pulled one of the jackets off and eased the boy to the sand. "He's cute." Venus whispered. The boy was about sixteen with long brown hair tied into a single braid. Pluto ignored Venus and took the boy's pulse.  
  
The boy emitted a weak groan. "Ow, man."  
  
"Dehydration." Pluto said conclusively. "And since you, Venus, seem to already have an opinion of this one, you can hydrate him." She tossed Venus a water bottle from her bag and move to the four other people. She realized they were all boys. "Well, the rest of you, pick a bottle and a boy and get some water into them." So Neptune, Mercury, Pluto and Mars each got stuck with a bottle and sat down to force-feed the boys water. Uranus and Jupiter stayed standing. Venus looked down at her boy and smirked. She got the cute one. Tilting him up on her knee, she slowly fed him the water.  
  
After about fifteen minutes and three refills, Pluto's boy began to awake. He was light blond with a more slender build than the others. He groaned a bit, then put his hand to his forehead. "Where am I?" Sitting him up, Pluto did a quick inspection of the boy, looking for cuts of bumps. Satisfied, she helped him stand up.  
  
"You're in Crystal Tokyo." Uranus told him.  
  
"Where's that?" The question came from Neptune, or rather next to her. One of the boys, this one with hair short in back, but so long in front it covered half his face. "Where is that?" He repeated.  
  
"It's-" Mars started, but was knocked down to the sand.  
  
"Get off me onna!" The boy Mars was helping pushed her away and leapt up.  
  
"Chill, Wu-man, they just saved us." Venus looked down. Her boy was awake as well. "Hey, babe, you done with that water yet?" Venus blushed and stuck the water bottle back in his mouth. He grinned, the cap between his teeth.  
  
"My name is not Wu-man, you braided baka!"  
  
"Stop shouting, bastard." The one called Wu-man whipped around to face Mars and hit the sand as she kicked his feet out from under him.  
  
"You-" His indignant cry was cut off by coughing.  
  
"Oh!" Mercury jerked the water bottle out of her boy's mouth and slapped him a few times on the back. Everyone was silent during his coughing fit. When it ended, he took a deep sigh and stood up.  
  
"What happened?" he asked. The rest of the boys were silent. Venus looked around at them; this was apparently their leader.  
  
Jupiter spoke up. "We saw your raft out on the water, no one was moving , so we brought it in to shore. You all were dehydrated, so we, well, hydrated you." She stood with her arms crossed, daring him to say, 'We didn't need your help.'  
  
Uranus spoke first. "And now that we are all awake, we should at least get each other's names."  
  
No one spoke. Venus sighed and cleared her throat. "I'm Venus." The rest of the girls named off one by one.  
  
"Pluto."  
  
"Mercury."  
  
"I am Neptune."  
  
"Uranus."  
  
"Jupiter."  
  
"And I'm Mars." There was another silence. Mars snorted. "Hey, Wu-man."  
  
"That is not my name, onna!!!"  
  
"Then what is your name?!"  
  
"Wufei!"  
  
Mars smiled and turned to the braided boy still sitting comfortably in Venus's lap. He grinned. "Duo Maxwell."  
  
The blond boy spoke next. "I'm Quatra."  
  
After him, the boy with the long hair over his face spoke. "I am Trowa."  
  
Finally, their 'leader', "Heero Yuy."  
  
Neptune smiled and stood. "Good. Now that we are all acquainted, we should be getting home. It's almost dinnertime and everyone will be expecting us back."  
  
Well, how was that? Now to explain a few things. I have no idea how to treat dehydration, so don't do what Pluto did. Also, I apologize for all the hair color reference- it's the only easy way to tell the G-boys apart, when they aren't talking. Any way, like before please R&R and email me with any important suggestions. mmj15@aol.com ^_^ *smile* 


	3. At the Crystal Palace

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Hey, I'm back with another chapter!! Oh, and guess what? I got my first two reviews today!!!!! I'm so happy. Well, here you go-  
  
Twenty minutes later, five boys and four girls were standing on opposite sides of the bus stop. Everyone, except Mars and Wufei were calm enough, but those two were still silently fuming at each other. When the bus finally came, Quarta was kind enough to let the girls to go first, winning him kind smiles from all four.  
  
On the silent, empty bus, each group once again sat on separate sides. While Mars and Wufei still refused to so much as look at each other, Venus and Duo shared many glances and smiles. Mercury finally broke the silence when she leaned forward and asked, "So where are all of you from?"  
  
Duo leaned back and closed his eyes. "Well, uh, we're not exactly from around here. See, we're bunked up at Quatra's place, But we've never heard of this Crystal Tokyo, so I think it's pretty far from here."  
  
All four girls stared at him. Jupiter crossed her arms. "How could you have not even heard of Crystal Tokyo? It's the biggest city on the planet!"  
  
The guys looked at each other. Heero shrugged. "We've just never heard of it."  
  
Mercury adjusted her glasses. "Hmmmm. Maybe we should take you to see the queen."  
  
Heero's head jerked towards her. "Queen Relena?"  
  
"No.Queen Serenity." Mercury frowned at him.  
  
At that moment, the bus stopped in the middle of an empty street. The street was clearly not abandoned, the shops that lined the streets were in excellent care, there were simply no people around. As everyone stood and moved to the open door, Duo leaned over next to Venus. "Hey, who's Queen Serenity?"  
  
"You don't even know who Queen Serenity is?!" Venus said a little too loudly. Everyone turned to look at them. Even the bus driver swiveled to look at Duo.  
  
"Okaaaay." Jupiter whispered as she nudged everyone towards the door. "We should definitely go see the queen."  
  
"Hey, everyone? What, what is that?" Trowa asked from the back of the group. Jupiter stood next to him.  
  
"That's the palace."  
  
Duo stared up at it. "It looks like a, a."  
  
"A giant crystal palace. In the heart of Crystal Tokyo." Mars finished as she brushed a strand of hair back. "Well, coming or not?" She started for the gates. Wufei hesitated and grabbed Heero's arm.  
  
"Heero, I don't trust these onnas. They're up to something." He hissed.  
  
Heero stopped and looked at Wufei. "I know. All of these crystals and such, and new queens; I don't trust it either. But for the moment, we don't have a choice. Let's go."  
  
Duo looked back at the two boys. "Geez, Wu-man, you gonna come sometime today?"  
  
"My name is not Wu-man, insolent baka!"  
  
"Then move it!" Snapped Mars.  
  
Jupiter sighed. "Will everyone stop yelling? We're here."  
  
The group stood in front of the two crystalline poles. "I'll open it this time." Mercury stepped forward and pressed her hand to the left pole. Both pole shimmered aqua blue. The other three girls stepped through. Quatra stood hesitant between the poles. Mercury nodded him through. "It's okay. I've opened it."  
  
Quatra cautiously took a step forward. "What is it?"  
  
Mercury smiled. "It's just power running between crystals in a wall form. Only someone authorized can deactivate the power flow."  
  
"Oh." The boys still looked doubtful.  
  
"Oh, come on you big babies." Venus sighed, reaching over and pulling Duo to the inside by the neck of his shirt. The other boys stepped over before they had to be pulled.  
  
"Hey babe, watch the shirt-"  
  
Mars turned and growled at the boys. "We don't have all day you know!" With that she stormed up to the palace doors, threw them open and disappeared. Wufei snorted and glared after her.  
  
Duo looked at him. "I think he likes her."  
  
Jupiter smiled. "I think Mars likes him too. She's never this irritable."  
  
Mercury let go of the pole and stood next to them. "She's right though. We should get going."  
  
Well, how was that? Not very exciting, but it sets up for the palace scenes I was dreaming up. I might not get another chapter up until Saturday; I just started school. Oh, and I need some serious help with my title. If you have any good suggestions, email me or stick it in your review. My address is at the bottom of the previous chapters. 


	4. A little chat

Chapter 4  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam wing.  
  
Hey people!! I got another chapter for ya! Here you go!!!!  
  
The remaining three girl and five boys silently walked through the crystal doors. While Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter took no notice of their surroundings, the five boys walking silently behind them gazed at the richness of the palace. White marble floors, walls and ceiling, there were even gold frames and knobs on all the doors. They stopped in front of a very wide set of double doors. Jupiter turned to the boys.  
  
"We better go in first. You all stay out here, but don't wander off. We'll come get you when you can come in."  
  
Heero looked down the hall. "We're not children."  
  
Jupiter glanced at him. "Maybe so, but still don't go anywhere."  
  
"Just get going, onna." Wufei snapped.  
  
"Will you please stop saying that?!" Mercury glared at him.  
  
Quatra stepped between them. "I am sorry Miss Mercury. This is how he is. He calls every woman, onna."  
  
Mercury sighed. "Well, he needs to work on his manners."  
  
Jupiter nodded curtly and passed through the slightly open double doors. Venus and Mercury followed. The boys watched the doors close. Looking at each other, they silently leaned against the wall.  
  
~~~~~Inside the room~~~~ The queen addressed them. "Stand, stand. Mars has already informed me of the situation. So, what shall we do about these newcomers?"  
  
Mars stepped around to look at her queen as well as her friends. "They must be enemies. Why else would they be floating on a raft in the middle of the sea? There's no island or anything they could have possibly drifted from, and even if there was, there are storms, cyclones, 80-foot waves, and who knows what else that far out to sea. That raft was in excellent shape- it was practically brand new. And besides all that, besides the storms and whatever, you can just look at them and know something's wrong."  
  
Queen Serenity sat up. "How so?"  
  
Mars crossed her arms and continued. "Because they're military." She said. "The way they walk, talk, sit- even that Quatra one has had some training."  
  
"Mars, half the city is ex-military." Venus cut in. "They could be ordinary citizens."  
  
"You just want to protect that Duo boy!" Mars exclaimed.  
  
"No way they are ordinary citizens." Jupiter said, stepping carefully between Venus and Mars. "They told us they had never heard of Crystal Tokyo or you, Queen Serenity, and they couldn't have been lying, or we would have noticed."  
  
Mercury turned to Mars. "Jupiter's right, Mars. Why would our 'enemy' send down five teenage boys to destroy us and not even tell them about us?"  
  
Queen Serenity stood up. "You are all right. But still my question is unanswered. What are we going to do about them?"  
  
Mercury stepped forward. "Your Majesty, if I may, I would like to take them to the lab for examination. Perhaps, I can find something that will help us."  
  
The queen nodded at her. "Permission granted. The rest of you go with her; if they are an enemy, we don't want them catching one of us unawares. But we don't want to openly attack them, in case they aren't the enemy. Jupiter, call the boys in here. Let me talk to them."  
  
Hey! Well, what do you think? Nothing really exciting, but that mini-debate with Mars. Give me a review okay!! And I need a few suggestions for a title too. Bye!!! (Oh, and I have already decided the couples, so no need for ideas there.) 


	5. Examination

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Yo people!! I'm back again with another installment of your favorite story!! Here it goes!!  
  
Mercury stepped out and returned a minute later with the five boys. Venus, Jupiter and Queen Serenity all stared. They did have a military walk. Queen Serenity stood to welcome her guests. "Welcome to Crystal Tokyo, Heero, Trowa, Quatra, Duo and Wufei. I trust you are all fine after your ordeal?"  
  
There was a long silence. The Scouts looked at each other. Quatra finally broke the calm. "Uh, Your Majesty, we don't want to burden you any more than we have, but I'm afraid we have no way of getting back to our homes-"  
  
Queen Serenity banged her staff on the floor. "Absolutely not. I won't hear of it. You nearly died on that raft, and I will not allow you to leave my Kingdom until you all have fully recovered. Now, please go with Mercury to the lab for an examination. Girls, go with them, Mercury might need a little help." Venus exchanged glances with the Queen. What she meant was, in case the boys tried anything, be there to help.  
  
Ten minutes later, Trowa, Heero, Quatra, Wufei, and Duo were lying down on tables covered by long, brightly lit tubes. Almost all of them had agreed to lie down and let the computer examine them. Almost all of them. Wufei had seriously opposed the idea of lying down on a table and be examined by "a bunch of onnas". But while he was spitting out curses in Japanese, Jupiter got him hard in the back of the head and she, Venus and Mars managed to get him onto the table, and close the tube over him.  
  
Mercury sighed as she sat at her computer console. "That one might end up being serious trouble, even if they don't turn out to be our enemies."  
  
Jupiter frowned and looked at the table-tubes. "Can they hear us?"  
  
"Only if they had super-hearing." Mercury responded. "Now you might want to sit down, this could take a while."  
  
And so Venus, Jupiter and Mars spent the next fifteen minutes fidgeting in chairs and listening to Mercury, "Hmmm.that's odd." and "Where did that come from?" Finally, she clicked off the computer screen and stood up. Not waiting for the girls to ask, Mercury went right into her explanation. "Don't stand up just yet, you'll want to be sitting for this one. Well, I found absolutely no traces of nega energy, so that's good, but what I did find was a little surprising." Venus opened her mouth, but Mercury cut her off. "Please, don't interrupt. What I did find was that every one of them was dusted with traces of Gundanium Alloy. Now as you all know, Gundanium hasn't been used for centuries, and even back then it was only used for certain mobile suits. But it got too expensive and they stopped. Now, I did a body search on all of them and found traces of several other metals. I did a little search, and it turns out that almost every one of the metals I found were components of the last and only Gundam mobile suits. And guess how many there were."  
  
Jupiter closed her eyes. "There were five, weren't there?"  
  
"One Gundam for each of them." Mars muttered.  
  
Mercury nodded and continued. "Now if that wasn't enough, I did a search on the pilots of those old Gundams. The descriptions fit our guys perfectly."  
  
"But wait a sec." Venus stood up. "You said these Gundams were made centuries ago. No way these guys are that old."  
  
Jupiter spoke up. "What are you saying, Mercury, that these boys somehow." She trailed off.  
  
Mercury adjusted her glasses. "That's exactly what I'm saying. They aren't our enemies at all. They were minding their own business, fell in a portal, and got pushed ahead in time. To our time."  
  
Mars stood up. "Of course, that explains everything! They've never heard of us because there is no Crystal Tokyo in their time; They were on a raft in the middle of nowhere because that's where the portal dumped them; and they act military because if they're Gundam pilots, then they must have had training!"  
  
Mercury nodded. "Precisely."  
  
Venus walked over to Duo's table. "So I guess we'd better let them out and tell them what happened."  
  
Mercury walked over to her console and pressed a button. The tubes slid open.  
  
"Finally!"  
  
"That took way too long!"  
  
The boys complained as they climbed off the tables. Then all of a sudden, they were silent. They gathered together in a group and stared at the Scouts. Heero stepped forward. "Pushed ahead in time, huh?"  
  
"How did-"  
  
He folded his arms. "We may not have super-hearing, but we do hear very well."  
  
So, how did you like it? So the guys aren't enemies. Will they believe they have been shoved through time? What will the Queen say? What about the other scouts? Click in next time for another episode of, One summer day. Good night everyone!! (Oh, yeah, and I have already chosen the couples, and I think you'll like a little twist I've added to it.) R&R 'kay!! 


	6. Disbelief

DISLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Hey, I'm back again. This chapter is a little boring, but it sort-of makes way for the better chapters. Here it goes!  
  
"Well, is that how it is? Well that could cause a bit of a problem in getting you home." Serenity said. Mercury had just finished explaining what the situation was.  
  
Mars took a quick glance at Wufei and stepped forward. "Why can't we just send them back with the time key?"  
  
"We can't do that." Mercury said. "The keys won't work on them."  
  
Mars crossed her arms. "Well, why not?"  
  
"Because you have to have power to work it-" Venus clamped her mouth shut, but it was too late.  
  
All five boys looked at her. "What kind of power?" Heero said slowly. The Scouts looked at their queen. Serenity gave each of the boys a heavy look.  
  
Duo gulped under her stare. "I take it from that look that you don't mean electricity powers that thing."  
  
"Your Majesty." Jupiter muttered.  
  
Serenity stood up. "No, I will tell them. These boys are not our enemies and so they deserve to know who they will be staying with."  
  
So Queen Serenity spent the next few minutes explaining about the Scouts and their powers. When she was done, she sighed and folded her hands neatly in her lap. Wufei snorted and turned around. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I have absolutely no reason to believe that these onnas have any sort of 'special powers' as you claim." He turned his head towards Serenity, an intense glint in his eye. "And, personally, I find it hard to believe that an onna who makes up stories about her subjects is fit to be sitting on a throne." There was an uproar at is words.  
  
"How dare you!"  
  
"You'd better take that back boy!"  
  
"What makes you think you can talk to us like that?!"  
  
Serenity said nothing, but swelled with anger and gripped her staff tightly. Even the boys were scolding Wufei for his rash criticism.  
  
"Wufei, we don't even know them!"  
  
"Geez, Wu-man, back off a little."  
  
Trowa crossed his arms and glared at Wufei with his one exposed eye. "Wufei, we were passed out on a raft outside of a city we had never heard of, with a vast palace inside of a giant crystal; I see no reason to insult or disbelieve them."  
  
"Trowa's right, they even knew about our Gundams." Heero added.  
  
Wufei dropped his arms but his black eyes did not lose their glint. "Then prove it."  
  
Venus looked at him. "Prove it?"  
  
"Gladly." Mars growled and immediately shot a fireball at Wufei. It hit him square in the chest and sent him sprawling. For minutes after he simply lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.  
  
"Whoa, Wufei got taken down by a girl." Duo snickered.  
  
When Wufei sat up, Mars was standing over him. "How's that for proof?" She asked mockingly. She held out a hand to help him up. He brushed it off and silently stood up by himself.  
  
Serenity sighed and calmed herself. "Girls, I believe you have some extra rooms in your living area?"  
  
Venus smiled and squeezed Duo. "Don't worry, Queen Serenity! We'll make sure they have a good place to stay!"  
  
Duo grinned and put his arm around Venus. "Don't worry about fixing up and extra room, babe, I can just share yours!"  
  
She pushed him away playfully. "You wish."  
  
Jupiter poked her and whispered, "If you're done flirting, we should go tell the others what's going on." Venus stuck her tongue out at her.  
  
Mars was already at the door. "If we could get going now."  
  
Serenity nodded them all out. After all of them had left, she sank down in her chair. "That Wufei is going to turn out to be some trouble."  
  
Well, I told you it was boring. Sorry I had to make Wufei such a meanie! It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. REMEMBER, REVIEW PEOPLE! I have to now what more of you think about my stuff! 


	7. Meet the girls

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Hey all my adoring fans!!!! Here's another chapter for ya!  
  
The Scouts led the five boys down the hall in silence. Wufei was still a little upset at being knocked down by an onna, who singed his shirt on top of that. Their silent march was interrupted by a small, pink-haired girl dashing out of a door and smacking right into Jupiter.  
  
"Jupiter, Jupiter! We were trying to make lunch, and the stove, with the pan, and, and, this, um-" the little girl babbled on.  
  
"Rini, Rini! Slow down! What's this about the stove?" Venus knelt down next to her.  
  
There was a loud shriek from the room Rini had run from. Heero, sensing trouble, drew his gun and marched through the doors. Jupiter immediately jumped in front of him and pushed him hard in the chest and snatched his gun. "Put that away, you idiot! You're going to hurt someone!" With that, she turned around. Standing next to a smoldering stove was a very wet, and very unhappy, girl dressed in all black. Beside her was a girl with blue hair, giggling behind her hand. Water was sprayed all over the walls, cabinets, the counter and the stove. Jupiter sighed. "Neptune, Saturn, what happened? What's with my stove? Why is everything all wet?"  
  
The girl in black rung out her hat and looked at Jupiter. "Well, we were trying to make lunch and the fire just leapt up at us, then Rini ran to get help, then Neptune came in to check on us."  
  
The woman next to her stopped laughing and brushed a few water droplets off her skirt. "I saw the fire and I put it out."  
  
Dou stepped around Mars and Venus. "Geez, looks to me you set the whole freakin' water system on it."  
  
"Oh!" Neptune noticed the rest of the boys. "You are all okay! How do you like the palace?"  
  
Quatra spoke from behind Trowa. "It's lovely! Do you live here too?"  
  
"All of us live here."  
  
"So, I take it from all this water that water is your power." Wufei huffed.  
  
Neptune's, Rini's and Saturn's eyes all snapped to Jupiter. "It's okay, it was a little weird," She cast a sidelong look at Wufei, "But they know about us."  
  
Rini jumped away from the boys. Mercury put her hand on Rini's shoulder. "It's okay, they aren't our enemies. Now go get everyone to the living room, we'll explain it all there." Rini nodded and skipped out the opposite door from the kitchen. Saturn gave each of the five boys a hard look and went off after Rini.  
  
Duo leaned next to Trowa. "Dude, I don't think she likes us."  
  
"No kidding." He said back.  
  
Venus picked up a wet rag and rung it out. "Wow, Neptune, you really blew out."  
  
"Neptune held up her hands. "I admit, I might have gone a little over board. But you all go on and explain everything to the rest. This is my mess; I shall clean it up." She took the rag from Venus.  
  
Jupiter snatched it. "No way. You need to hear the story too. All of you get going; I'll be in there in a bit." She turned her back to them and proceeded to mop up the counter.  
  
Mercury pulled a bit on Quatra's shirt. "Come on everyone, let's get to it."  
  
Everyone followed Mercury out into the living room. Heero looked at Jupiter a moment before he passed through the doors.  
  
Inside the living room, there were multiple couches and brightly colored armchairs. Almost all of them were occupied by various women. Neptune sat next to a tall, short haired blond, Uranus, and Venus perched on the arm of the couch where Mars and Pluto sat. Duo stood next to her and Quatra and Trowa sat on a couch while Heero and Wufei leaned on either side. Rini came down the stairs and plopped down next to Saturn. Mercury looked at her. "Where's Laytha?"  
  
Rini leaned forward. "She's in the gym. She said no to bother with her, she'll get the scoop later."  
  
Mercury shrugged. "All right. So this is how it is, Scouts. These boys are from sometime in the past-"  
  
"After Colony 196." Heero interrupted.  
  
"Yes," Mercury continued. "Some how they were stuck in a portal and ended up in the ocean where we found them. They happen to be the pilots of the Gundams. Rini, have you studied them yet?"  
  
"Yeah, those special mobile suits made out of Gundanium Alloy, like half a millennium ago." "That's correct, Rini. Now, since they are from so far back, getting a portal won't be that easy-" "Try nearly impossible." Pluto said.  
  
"Yes, so until we decide what we can do, they will be staying here. We have seven extra rooms in our hall; each of you can have your own room. So, is that all?" Mercury looked around. Duo raised his hand. Mercury sighed "Yes, Duo, and no. You can't share a room with Venus."  
  
Duo snapped his finger. "Man."  
  
Venus looked back at him and giggled.  
  
"If that's all, then the rest of you should go get better acquainted with the palace." Everyone turned around. Jupiter was standing at the door.  
  
Uranus stood up. "She's right. I don't want any of you running to me to find out where the bathroom is. I'll be in my workshop, if there's anything else." She turned and left.  
  
"Me too." Neptune followed her. One by one each of the others left, leaving just the Inners and the boys.  
  
"Well, anybody hungry?"  
  
So.what do you think? I tried to space it out a little more and make it not so.clumpy. I also tried to make it a bit longer. Oh, and you'll find out who Laytha is in the next chapter. She's an old character, but she now gets the privilege of being a Scout!!! Well, people R&R!!!! Tell me what you think! 


	8. Exploring the palace

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Hey my friends!!!! I got a sudden attack of inspiration and decided to get up another chapter the day after the last one. Hope you like it. Now, once the guys split up to explore, I will tell certain parts of it from each guy's P.O.V. I'll let you know which one is in the spotlight. (Oh, and I changed the rating to PG-13 because of some awkward situations our couples get thrown into.) Here it is!!  
  
"So, who's hungry?" Jupiter said from her place against the wall.  
  
"I am!" All five boys said in unison.  
  
Jupiter laughed. "Well, I made some quick sandwiches, and they're in the kitchen if you want them. I'll be in the computer lab if anyone wants more." With that, she turned and left through the kitchen door.  
  
Dou bounded in after her. "Sandwiches!!!"  
  
Venus looked after him, and then headed up the marble staircase in the back of the room. "Well, I need a nap. See ya."  
  
Mars went up behind her. "I'll be getting a bubble bath, if there happens to be another crisis." She openly glared at Wufei.  
  
Mercury sighed. "You remember where the lab is. If you get lost, just come there."  
  
Quatra stood up and nodded his head. "Thank you, Miss Mercury."  
  
Mercury looked back at him from the door. "It's Mercury, just Mercury." She smiled and passed through the doors.  
  
Wufei watched the exchange and snorted. "I'm not hungry." He muttered as he marched through the open door on the opposite side of the living room.  
  
Heero silently walked into the kitchen and Trowa and Quatra followed him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Duo's P.O.V.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He was finishing up his second sandwich when Quatra, Heero and Trowa came in. Jupiter smiled cheerfully at them all. "Hey, I made lots so, feel free to eat as much as you want."  
  
"Thank you Miss Jupiter."  
  
"No Miss. Just Jupiter."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
Duo swallowed his last bite. "Well, I'm gonna walk around a little. See you guys!" Each of the others nodded a goodbye and Duo left. He looked up and down the marble white hallways. "Which way. oh, well." He turned left. He passed doors twice his size and ones that must have to be opened by a bulldozer. "I wonder if they even have bulldozers in this time." He though as he stopped in front of one of such doors. He shrugged and moved on.  
  
He stopped again, this time to look more closely at the intricate carvings around one door in particular. I was of a single ribbon swirling around itself over and over around the frame of the door. On the door itself there was a large carving of a crescent moon. He looked at it for a moment, then tried the handles. It was locked. "Bummer." Duo muttered.  
  
He kept walking and found a great staircase, this one apparently made out of the same crystal the palace was built in. It shimmered in the sunlight that poured in through the framed windows that were on the opposite side of the hall. Duo walked over to one of them and cracked it open. "Whoa." When he had expected to hear beeping horns and traffic, he heard nothing but serene quiet. He leaned right against the glass and looked out. The beautiful shops and houses still stood along the streets, but there was no one outside. He strained his eyes and gazed into one of the windows of a shop facing the palace. Sure enough, there were people in there, drinking something and apparently dancing. "So, I guess this place isn't deserted."  
  
He shut the window and went up the crystal stairs. As he approached the second floor, he stumbled. "What the hell." Duo muttered. While the lower floor had bee entirely white marble, this second floor took a drastic change and transferred everything to dark oak. It was a single hallway with doors lining each side. "It's like barracks up here." One some of the doors, there were strange symbols. On one there was an 'h' with a cross through the line going up. On another there was a tilted number '4'. Duo turned around and saw one of the doors open. There was a shriek and Wufei tumbled out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Wufei's P.O.V.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He left the living room after seeing the soft exchange between Quatra and that Mercury onna. The others were letting their guard down. If Mars could shoot fireball from her bare hand, and that Neptune could spray water over everything, then these onnas could do serious damage. He couldn't stay too close to any of them. He stopped and looked out the huge glass window. There was a woman leaning over her garden, weeding. Wufei kept walking.  
  
He looked up a stairway that spiraled up to the second floor. He closed his eyes and sat down on the bottom step. He needed to think. So these onnas had special powers. They seemed to only use them when they were severely emotional. Mars was angry that he had insulted their queen. Neptune was frightened when she saw the fire. They were onnas, of course they would get emotional over everything. He would have to watch his step.  
  
Wufei stood up and proceeded up the crystal stairs. He stopped when he saw the second level. Unlike the base floor, this floor was entirely of some dark wood. Doors lined each side of the single hall like guards. He looked at the nearest door. It had a strange symbol on it. It was the symbol for male, a circle with an arrow pointing to the upper right. Only this symbol had a heart instead of the circle. A movement caught his eye. Maxwell was on this floor as well, examining another door.  
  
Wufei turned his attention to his door. Well, heart or not, this was the symbol for male, perhaps it was a bathroom. He turned the knob and opened the door. It was not a bathroom at all, but a bedroom. And that Mars onna was in it. Wearing nothing but a short, pink towel. She pulled up the towel and spun around. The universe seemed to have stopped for a whole minute. The onna suddenly realized who he was and shrieked. The noise brought him back to his senses and he looked away and backed up. The fireball hit him, once again, square in the chest, but this one sent him soaring. He crashed against the door on the other side of the hall. Mars reached out and slammed the door, her face still pinker than the towel.  
  
Wufei fell to the floor. That blow had knocked all the air out of him. He heard Maxwell running down the hall. "Geez, Wu-man! Did you at least knock?!"  
  
Wufei slowly stood up, glared at him, and staggered down the hall, hands protecting his aching chest.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Heero's P.O.V.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He looked down at the sandwich Jupiter had put before him. "All of you are way too thin. Especially you, Heero Yuy." She poked him. "Eat something." He looked at her, then back at his plate.  
  
"I'm not hungry." He pushed it away and stood up. As he passed her on his way to the door, Jupiter pushed him. Heero stumbled. He looked at her, but her back was turned to him, while she did the dishes. Heero brushed his arm. She was stronger than she looked. He hesitated a moment longer, then left through the door.  
  
Heero stuffed his hands in his pockets and saw Duo walk up the stairs out of the corner of his eye. Walking in the opposite direction, he passed many decorative doors, but he paid no attention to them. He was no too thin. He was simply compact. Better to get into smaller places. Why was he thinking about what he said anyway? Heero pushed the thoughts out of his mind and stopped at an open door.  
  
It was a library. Heero looked around. There was nothing better to do. He wandered over to the fiction section and looked for his favorite book. Sure enough, they had it. Of course they had it. This library was bigger than the one in Quatra's mansion. Shelves lined each of the four walls, up to the ceiling, and there were smaller shelves in the area in the middle. There were rolling ladders for each shelf and one for each wall. Fiction was in the center, labeled by a small sign taped to the outside of the self. Heero's book was on the very bottom shelf. He reached down and pulled it out. Resigning himself to a small, comfy chair, he began to read Colors of Chaos by L. E. Modesitt Jr. The faint shriek from upstairs did not even reach his ears.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Quatra's P.O.V.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Quatra ate two of the sandwiches and watched Jupiter push Heero as he walked out. "Stubborn boy." She muttered after he left. Trowa left next, quietly thanking her for lunch. Quatra sat in the kitchen for a while longer, slowly finishing his sandwich. Just as he was swallowing his last bite, a muffled shriek came from upstairs. Quatra stood up. Jupiter motioned for him to sit down. "Don't worry. I just think one of your friends found Mars."  
  
Quatra looked up. Wufei might be limping tonight. He went over and set his plate in the sink. "Thank you, Jupiter. That was great. Do you all have a library?"  
  
"Down the right hall, third door on the right."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Quatra left the kitchen and went down the right hall. He found the library open. Heero was already sitting in one of the chairs with a book. Quatra smiled and looked up at the walls. Climbing a ladder, he began to look through the various tomes of knowledge.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Trowa's P.O.V.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Having eaten, he laid his plate in the sink and thanked Jupiter. He walked down the hall, occasionally stopping to look out the many windows. He got to a staircase. Trowa was about to go up when he heard a shriek, a thud and a door slammed. He frowned and moved on. Many of the doors were closed, but the few that were open, proved to be empty. He passed the door where they had met with Queen Serenity. Trowa decided not to disturb her.  
  
After a few more minutes of walking and closed doors, he saw one that was wide open, with a light on inside. Trowa walked up to it and looked inside. There was a red-haired girl inside doing graceful flips on a balance beam. Trowa caught his breath.  
  
"Katherine?" She ignored him. "Katherine, it's Trowa. How did you get here?" Only now did the balance beam girl look up.  
  
"Excuse me?" Katherine looked at him with her pale blue eyes.  
  
"It's me, Katherine, it's Trowa."  
  
"I'm sorry, I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Laytha. Who are you again?"  
  
Trowa took a step back. "I'm Trowa."  
  
Laytha's eyes widened. "Oh! You're one of those Gundam pilots we found!" She jumped off the beam. "Did Mercury examine you, are you okay?"  
  
Trowa sighed. "I'm fine, it's just you look identical to a friend I had back home."  
  
Laytha giggled. "Well, I'll be your friend now. Want to spot me?"  
  
Trowa smiled softly. "Sure."  
  
Well, people, what do you think? Remember, you have to review me!! I hope you have a basic idea of who the couples are. I just had to give Trowa someone!!!! And the only one who seemed to be like the perfect match for him was Katherine. Well, what do you think? Let me know!!! 


	9. Can you believe what he did!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. These lovely characters are not mine but some other lucky fool's.  
  
Hey, I got a little inspiration again and a day off so, here you go!!! Oh, and by the way to the person (who shall remain nameless) who told me that Trowa and Katherine were brother/sister- they are not related, Trowa simply got a job working at her circus when he first came to Earth. Yeah, and there is some mild swearing in this chapter, I think Mars deserves to vent her anger. Well, that being said, on with the show!!!!!!  
  
Venus had just gotten back to sleep when Mars stormed into her room, absolutely radiating heat. "Can you believe him!!? That, that, asshole just marching into my room, without even a knock!!! What the HELL makes him think he can just go around barging into people's rooms-"  
  
Venus got up and shook Mars. "Mars! What are you talking about?!"  
  
"That Wufei!!! He just goes right into my room, without even knocking, right when I was getting dressed!!"  
  
Venus stepped back and bit her lips. It didn't help, the laugh escaped through her nose. She sat down on her bed and apologized to Mars between snorts.  
  
The heat around Mars crackled. "You are not helping! How can you sit there and laugh like that!!!"  
  
Venus drew in a deep breath and tried to respond, but couldn't stop laughing. She slid to the floor and held her stomach.  
  
"Some friend you are." Mars hissed and fumed out of the room.  
  
Venus looked up and cursed. "Shit!" She snatched up her pillow and smothered the small flame Mars had tossed onto her dresser. She sighed and poked her head out the door. "Mars, I'm sor-" She looked up and down the hall. It was empty.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the kitchen~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh, Mars. Did you at least hit him?" Jupiter put down the dough she was kneading.  
  
"Of course I hit him! He's straight lucky I was able to control myself enough to keep from completely toasting him!" Mars cried, slamming her fist on the counter.  
  
"Toasting who?" Mars turned around and saw Mercury pushing open the kitchen door, arms loaded with books.  
  
"Wufei!!" Mars shouted. "That jerk walked in on me without even knocking! He didn't even apologize about having walked in on me!"  
  
"What's so bad about him walking in on you? Were you doing a fire reading?" Mercury asked as she set her books down.  
  
"I was dressing!" Mars screeched.  
  
"Oh." Mercury covered her mouth with her hand and turned away. A muffled giggle reached Mars's ears.  
  
"You are no better than Venus!"  
  
Jupiter scooped up her dough and dropped it into the pan. "You talked to Venus?"  
  
"Yeah, and she was laughing like a hyena when I left!"  
  
Mercury sighed and turned around. "Mars, you have to admit it is a bit funny."  
  
"Not when it happens to you!"  
  
Mercury looked away and frowned. "Mars didn't you lock your door?"  
  
Mars opened her mouth and shut it. "Well, no. But he still should have knocked!"  
  
Venus slipped through the door behind Mercury. "Look Mars, I'm sorry about laughing. And Mercury is right. He probably had no idea that was you room."  
  
Mars whipped around to her. "Are you saying I should go apologize?!"  
  
Venus snorted. "No way! He definitely should have knocked! But maybe you should go explain that even though you should have locked your door, he should have knocked and at least say he's sorry he walked in on you."  
  
Mars sighed. "Well does anyone happen to know where he is?"  
  
Jupiter slipped the bread pan into the oven. "Let's split up and look for him. If we find him, call Mars on the communicator. You all still have yours?"  
  
Venus, Mars and Mercury all held their watch communicators up. Venus smiled. Never leave home without it."  
  
Mars stuck hers in her pocket. "Hmmm, it feels like were on a mission again."  
  
"Alright Scouts! Move out!" Venus cried and marched out the door.  
  
Mars laughed and went after her.  
  
Mercury headed toward the other door. "I thought I saw Quatra in the library. I'm going to ask him if he knows where Wufei might go."  
  
Jupiter looked in the oven. "I guess I'll go with you. I have no idea where to start."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mars and Venus~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Come on Mars! Can't you walk any faster?" Venus complained. "Let's go!" She dashed around the corner. Mars heard Venus gasp and fall over something.  
  
"What did you fall over this time?" Mars laughed and she stepped around the corner. "Hope you didn't break a statue, or something."  
  
Venus looked up and smiled. "No, just a guy."  
  
Duo sat up and grinned. "Hey you can run over me any day!"  
  
Mars rolled her eyes, unaffected by his charm. "Do you know where Wufei is?"  
  
Duo snickered. "What, you wanna catch him in a towel too?"  
  
Mars leaned over and swiped at him. "No, idiot. We want to talk to him."  
  
"Just talk? I think you're missing my point."  
  
Venus giggled and stood up. "We just want to talk. Nothing else."  
  
Duo put on his 'kicked puppy' face. "Aw.well if you say so. He's probably in a gym or whatever training area you ladies have around here."  
  
Mars looked back down the hall. "Yeah we have a gym." Just then, her communicator beeped.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Jupiter and Mercury~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mercury and Jupiter reached the library. Sure enough, both Quatra and Heero were in there, Heero still in his chair with Colors of Chaos, and Quatra still up on a ladder, looking through the books. Neither seemed to notice the girls' entry. Mercury walked towards a ladder and Jupiter snuck up behind Heero.  
  
"Colors of Chaos, good book." Heero sprung up and immediately had his gun against Jupiter's forehead. Jupiter rolled her eyes. She tossed a tiny bolt onto his gun it crackled and a small *poof* popped out of the barrel. Heero pulled it back and inspected it. "Would you know where Wufei would be?" Jupiter asked.  
  
"How did you do that?" Heero asked blankly, still inspecting his broken gun.  
  
"A little lightning. Now where is Wufei?"  
  
He looked up. "Probably a gym or something. Why?"  
  
Giggles echoed from high in the non-fiction section. "Did he really?"  
  
Mercury nodded fervently to Quatra. "He did. So we need to find him so Mars can talk to him. She wants to find out why he didn't knock."  
  
Heero looked back to Jupiter. "Why do you want to find him?"  
  
Jupiter smiled. "Do you really want to know?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Well, what happened was." Jupiter whispered the whole incident to him.  
  
Heero's eyes widened. He sat back down. "He'll be in the gym."  
  
"Thanks. Hey, Mercury! Let's go!"  
  
Mercury looked back at Jupiter and said a few things to Quatra before sliding down her ladder. Jupiter opened her watch and pressed the button for Mars. Her voice came on. "Yeah?"  
  
Jupiter spoke into it. "He's in the gym, but take your time getting there. Laytha might still be in there, we're going to get her to come out so you two can have some alone time."  
  
"I'm just going to talk to him, Jupiter-"  
  
"See ya there!" Jupiter snapped the communicator shut and cut Mars off. "Alright Mercury, let's go!"  
  
"I'm already at the door. Come on, Mars might not want us to get Laytha out. She might not want alone time. So she probably won't take her time."  
  
"Well, we're closer to it any way." Jupiter said as she followed Mercury out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the gym~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yeah, we were almost done anyway, right Trowa?" Laytha said cheerfully.  
  
Trowa jumped easily off the beam. "Yes."  
  
"Alright, I guess it's time for lunch." Jupiter said a little too loudly, glancing over at the black-haired boy doing push-ups angrily across the large gym. Jupiter and Laytha quickly left the room, with Trowa in tow. They passed Mars, Venus and Duo outside.  
  
"Have fun." Whispered Venus as she followed them, and pulled Duo along.  
  
Mars glared at them and stepped through the open Gym doors. As soon as she was inside, Jupiter, Venus, Laytha, Mercury and Duo all peeked in the crack between the doors. Trowa said nothing, but leaned against the wall. Inside, they saw Mars take a deep breath and walk towards the unaware boy doing angry push ups on the floor.  
  
Well, people. What do you think? What will Mars say to him? What will Wufei say to her? Will they kiss and make up? Who knows? (Actually I do, but you all will have to wait to find out.) Like before, R&R! Let me know how it is! 


	10. Confrontation

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing, these characters aren't mine.  
  
Hey peeps!! I'm back with another chapter!! I hope you all are ready for it! This is the big Mars-Wufei scene! Hope ya like it! (Oh, and parentheses means that these are thoughts.) Action!  
  
Mars straightened her bangs. (What should I say? 'Wufei about back there,' No that's weak. Geez he looks angry. Wait, why is he angry?! He walked in on me!) She stamped he foot in anger and immediately regretted it. Wufei snapped up and pulled his gun out. Mars stood up and marched over to him. "Well."  
  
He put his gun away. "So? You want something?" He put his gun back on the table and knelt over.  
  
"Yes I want something!! You walked in on me and didn't even apologize!"  
  
Wufei stood up again. "What do you want me to say, onna? 'I'm sorry'?" He snorted with disdain. He looked around for and air vent. (Why is it so hot in here?)  
  
"Yes an apology is usually the thing to do when you are wrong!" Mars crossed her arms.  
  
Wufei's onyx eyes glinted with anger. "I was not wrong, onna! You should have kept you door locked!"  
  
"You should have knocked!"  
  
Both turned away heatedly. Mars glanced over at him, but he had his eyes shut, back moving with his breathing. Mars stared. (Wow... He so thin, but he's so buff...)  
  
Wufei opened his eyes and looked over at her. She turned away. (What was she staring at?) "Is that all?"  
  
"No!" Mars whipped around to face him. "That's not all! Fine, I admit, I should have locked my door, but it's common courtesy to knock before you enter someone's room!"  
  
"How the hell was I to know it was your room?!"  
  
"The Mars symbol on the door should have given you a clue!" She shrieked.  
  
"What is the damned Mars symbol?" He shut his mouth and stepped back as he recalled the carving in the door. He remembered where he had seen it before. It was the Zodiac symbol for Mars. He looked away and crossed his arms.  
  
"So you did see it." Mars lifted her head triumphantly.  
  
Wufei slammed his fist on the table. (Can't believe this. Backed into a corner by some onna. Some onna named after a planet no less.) "I apologize." He muttered.  
  
It was barely above a growl but Mars caught it. "And I apologize for not locking my door when I knew we had visitors wandering around." She looked back at him. "So."  
  
"So." Wufei returned Mars's stare. (Why is she looking at me like that?) "So, why is it all of you are named after planets?"  
  
"Because that's the planet we draw our power from. What's it like to be a Gundam pilot?"  
  
"Hard." He thought of the L2 colony. And how it died. "Very hard."  
  
"Oh." Mars looked away. He had lost someone.  
  
Wufei snorted. "Don't pity me. I neither want nor need your sympathy."  
  
Mars smiled. (Such a total guy.) "I never said I was giving it."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Okay." Mars turned her back to him. "I'll just let you get back to your, um, exercises." She started to walk away.  
  
"You," Mars stopped and bit her lip. Wufei continued slowly. "You, you don't have to go. Not that I'm saying you should stay, but you don't have to go." He silently cursed himself. (Why am I doing this? She's just some onna?) "If you want." He went back to his push-ups. Mars said nothing but sat down on the bench behind him. She gave him one last look before she closed her eyes to meditate.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Outside the Gym~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Venus straightened and giggled. "How cute! Maybe we can get them to go out on a date if she walks in on him!"  
  
Mercury smiled. "We really shouldn't be spying on them, you guys."  
  
"Hey, all the action's over anyway." Dou stood up and stretched. "Come on. Let's go tell Heero and Quatre. Actually, Heero will probably not say anything, but Quatre might think it's romantic!"  
  
"They already know." Mercury said with a smile.  
  
"Do they?" Laytha looked at her questioningly.  
  
"Yeah. I told Quatre what was happening when we were in the library. They might be watching from the other door of the gym."  
  
"Heero's not that nosey." Trowa said.  
  
"But Quatre might be..." Duo said slyly.  
  
"But we'll never know because right now we are all going back to the kitchen for dinner." Jupiter looked sternly at all of them. "And we are not going to bother them about it, are we?"  
  
"Yes, mam!" Duo pulled a salute. "Whatever you say, mam!"  
  
Venus giggled. "Alright troops, let's move out!"  
  
Duo gave Trowa a huge grin as he and Venus marched off to the kitchen.  
  
"I'll go find Heero and Quatre and tell them dinner's ready." Mercury said as she wandered off.  
  
"Laytha, well, find everyone else and tell them it's time to eat." Laytha nodded and skipped off. Trowa walked along beside her. Jupiter turned and went towards the kitchen. (Maybe we can get them to go out on a date. Maybe Heero...) Jupiter shook the thought out of her head.  
  
Well, how was it? I know it's a tad short, but I guess I just ran out of gas towards the end. Oh, and as you may have noticed, I fixed Quatre's name. I forgot it ended with an 'e' instead of 'a'. Well, like before, R&R and tell me what you think of it. 


	11. Time for dinner!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing.  
  
Hi, my friends. I'm back again with another chapter. I know I just gave you one yesterday, but I got a little wave of inspiration. And like before, (this means thought). Here it goes!  
  
Uranus P.O.V.  
  
"Why is the spark plug disconnected? No wonder it doesn't work." Uranus muttered as she picked up her pliers and went back to work on her engine.  
  
"URANUS!"  
  
Uranus jerked her head up at the yell, and banged her head on the hood of her car. "What is it, Laytha?" She asked irritably.  
  
"Dinner's ready." Laytha said as she skipped out, as though she had done nothing wrong. Uranus looked after her. Trowa was still tagging along behind her. (Poor boy.) Uranus stood up and stretched. "Hey, Neptune!" She yelled toward the back.  
  
"I heard." Neptune said softly as she opened the door and put her violin case on the workbench.  
  
Uranus laughed. "I still don't get how you can practice back there with all the noise I make up here."  
  
Neptune returned the smile. "I can practice anywhere. Let's go. Jupiter wouldn't want us to be late for dinner."  
  
Uranus nodded and went to wash her hands.  
  
Saturn P.O.V.  
  
"Maybe this one." Saturn said as she chose one of the cards out of Rini's hand. She frowned as she turned the card around. "I got the joker again."  
  
Rini giggled. "Okay, my turn. Hmmm." Her hand moved back and forth between the two cards in Saturn's hand. "Is it.this one?" She pulled up the one on the right. "Yes! I win again!"  
  
Saturn tossed down her remaining joker card and leaned forward on her hands. "Want to play again?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
Rini's bedroom door opened and Venus's head popped in. "Dinner time, girls!"  
  
"Yeah!" The two shouted together and rushed past Venus downstairs.  
  
Venus smiled and walked down after them. "Now about Mars and her boyfriend." She pushed through the kitchen door and tugged on Duo's braid as she passed him. He spun around. "I'm gonna go get Mars and Wufei. Wanna come?"  
  
He smirked. "Of course." He followed her out the kitchen door.  
  
"Hurry up, you two, I don't want dinner to get cold!" Jupiter yelled after them.  
  
Duo and Venus raced down the hall. Duo got to the gym first. "Ha, beat you."  
  
Venus gave him a playful punch. "So what?" She turned and peered through the crack between the gym doors. "Hey, check it, Mars and Wufei are both meditating. I didn't know that Wufei guy meditates.Let's go get them."  
  
"Be ready for a long line of insults from Wufei, if you go in there and wake him up." Duo said apprehensively.  
  
"Oh, I'm used to it from Mars. Lucky she's not fire reading, or we'd never get her to wake up. Once she gets into one of those trances. She won't wake up until she's good and ready." Venus laughed as she opened the door.  
  
"She does fire readings?" Duo asked. "What does she read, like, fortunes and stuff?"  
  
"Not for specific people, she just get visions every now and then. Not recently though. Normally she gets the creepy visions right before we get attacked by something, but we must not be fighting anytime soon, because she hasn't gotten a serious vision in a while." Venus walked around the beams and weights and stood in front of Mars. "Wakey, wakey. Mars." Venus reached out and took her shoulder. Mars didn't budge. "Hmmm."  
  
"What do you want, Maxwell?!" Wufei hissed behind Venus.  
  
"Dinner's ready, man."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Duo looked around Venus to Mars. "Well, you going to wake her up?"  
  
"I can't." Venus muttered, frowning.  
  
"What do you mean?" Wufei asked, standing up.  
  
"You try." She stepped aside and waved her hand the sleeping Mars.  
  
Wufei looked at her strangely, and reached out to Mars's shoulder.  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
Having resolved the conflict, Mars sat down on the bench behind Wufei, glancing at him pushing against the floor and smiling before she closed her eyes. Normally, she simply concentrated on her power source, the planet Mars, and spent her time slowly pulling power from it. The power came slowly, very slowly, but the trickle did improve her strength little by little.  
  
But this time there was no planet. Mars concentrated harder, looking for the red light of her source, but something stood in her way. She pulled her thoughts into a conscious form and looked up at the block. She silently gasped. It was a huge, black crystal. Other crystals were around it. These ones were spiked out in all directions, and just as black as the single spike directly in front of her. She pulled her power but could not bring it to her. In her thoughts she could not use her power, unless it came from the planet. Mars mentally pushed herself towards the large crystal. (I cannot let it scare me.)  
  
The other crystals responded to her by gathering in closer, and surrounding her. In her mind's eye, Mars saw herself spinning around, surrounded by a wall of black, sparkling spikes. She concentrated harder. (What is this? I must get through it!) Once again she tried to pull power to herself but, once again could gather nothing. (No! What is this?!) Again, she saw herself spinning helplessly in the middle of the sphere of black crystals. They seemed to be closing in on her, squeezing the very air from her.the darkness tore at her, ripping away at her mind.  
  
"MARS!!!" A powerful voice snatched her from the darkness. Her eyes snapped open. They met with a pair of onyx ones, right in front of her. Mars was suddenly very aware of the sweat running down her forehead and the two strong hands that gripped her shoulders.  
  
"Wufei?" Mars's voice shook.  
  
"What happened?" He asked. His dark eyes seemed to envelop her. Dark eyes, such black eyes.  
  
Mars gasped and pushed him away. "No!" The darkness snapped away. He fell away from her and Mars twisted, and fell off the edge of the bench. She lay on the floor taking in ragged breaths.  
  
Venus suddenly appeared at her side. "Mars, what's wrong what did you see?" Venus picked up Mars head and rested it in her lap. "It's okay now. Did you have a vision? It's over now." Venus smoothed Mars's hair and looked over at Duo, sitting next to Wufei, who still sat on the floor where he had fallen. Looking back at Mars, she said, "Mars, we are going to try and stand. Okay? One, two."  
  
Mars rolled over and stood up unsteadily. "I need to talk with the queen. Is she still in her waiting room?" Venus nodded slowly. "Thank you." Mars carefully made her way out of the room, still sweating.  
  
After she left, Wufei stood up. "What the hell happened?" He hissed. "Did she have a nightmare, or some-"  
  
"No." Venus cut him off. "It was a vision. And a pretty bad one at that."  
  
Duo stood up and dusted his pants off. He jerked. "Wait a sec, didn't you say that she got visions when you all were about to be attacked?"  
  
Wufei's head snapped around to Venus. She closed her eyes. "It all depends on what she saw." She shook her head. "The queen will figure this out. Let's go back to the others."  
  
Well, what do you think? A little dramatic, I know, but it sets up the second half of the story. The real action-action won't occur for another few chapters, but don't worry. I will keep you occupied with at least one nice, somewhat romantic scene for each couple. Like before, R&R! See ya next time! 


	12. After dinner

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam wing.  
  
Hello!!! Hey I'm on a roll! Three chapters in one weekend!! Well, here's one of the romantic scenes I promised. Well, it's towards the middle/end of the chapter. Here it goes!!  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
Mars walked slowly down the hall towards the queen's room. (Why had I freaked out like that? Why am I kidding myself.I know why.) She thought of Wufei's black eyes consuming her like the crystals in the dream. (That was no dream. That was definitely a vision. Of what?) Mars looked up and stopped in front of a pair of large, marble double doors.  
  
"Come in, Mars." Queen Serenity's voice sounded from inside. Mars pushed open the doors enough and slipped through. "What is it, Mars? You don't look well. Is this because of the bathroom incident?" Serenity smiled to herself.  
  
"I had a vision." Mars said abruptly.  
  
Serenity's smile dropped like a brick and she stood. "A vision? When?"  
  
"A few minutes ago. I was setting down to meditate-"  
  
Serenity frowned. "At the fire?"  
  
"No. I was in the gym. Wufei and I had just worked out the bathroom incident," Mars looked away for a moment. "And I stayed there to meditate. I was going to my planet, as usual, but I couldn't find it."  
  
"Couldn't find it?"  
  
"Yes. It was as though it wasn't there anymore."  
  
Serenity swelled. "Is it-"  
  
Mars waved her hands. "No, no! It's not destroyed. It's still there, but I just couldn't find it. Anyway I pull myself together, and get a visual on what happened. I look up, mentally, and there is this huge black crystal spike, right in my way. And there are smaller black crystals all around it. I try to push through it, but the smaller crystals surround me and squeeze the very air out of me." Mars looked at the floor and hugged herself. "Then Wufei calls me out of the vision and I look up and I see him.and his eyes were so big and black, and I felt like they were consuming me, like the crystals did. And." Mars trailed off.  
  
Serenity sat down and closed her eyes. "I said it before and I'll say it again. This Wufei may turn out to be trouble. I don't like him or his attitude. Tell, me what was he doing while you were meditating?"  
  
Mars looked at her. "He was exercising, just what are you suggesting, Your Highness?"  
  
"He wasn't exercising when I came in there." Mars turned to the door. Venus was there. "He was meditating on the bench across from you." Venus said as she walked up next to Mars. "But, Queen Serenity, Mercury did an exam on all of these guys, and none of them have any traces of dark power. If he somehow was responsible for Mars's vision. no. He couldn't have done it."  
  
Serenity sat down. "I said nothing of the sort. I simply do not trust this boy. Mars, tonight you will do a fire reading, but until then, I want you both to disregard this vision. It was far too unclear to constitute an attack warning. Now, both of you go to dinner." Serenity sighed. "And cheer up some. The others don't need to know about this just yet. No need to worry everyone. Dismissed."  
  
Mars and Venus nodded their heads and left quietly. They said nothing until they were standing outside of the kitchen door. Venus turned to Mars. "Alright. Let's put on a happy face for the others inside." Mars nodded and opened the door.  
  
Everyone was already sitting at the table, getting their food. The room was silent as they walked to their seats. Mars gave a dramatic sigh. "It was just a nightmare. Nothing more."  
  
The whole table seemed to sigh in relief. With that, Uranus and Pluto, the girls on either side of her, began to serve Mars a helping of turkey, corn, and various other foods that Jupiter had prepared. Mars did a quick look around the table. Wufei was at the very end staring into his glass of water.  
  
After dinner, everyone loaded their dirty dishes into the washer, and went their separate ways. Neptune said she was going to go practice in the living room, and Mercury, Uranus, Quatre, and, upon insistence by Laytha, Trowa went as well. Heero sat on the other side of the room, looking out the window into the night. Jupiter did some finishing touches on the kitchen and Venus and Duo went out for a walk. Wufei said nothing but set off in the opposite direction of the couple for a walk of his own. Mars looked after him, and after a nudge from Rini, went after him.  
  
Mercury P.O.V.  
  
Neptune wasted no time in getting started on her piece. As the notes rose and fell, Mercury felt herself being pulled in by the mesmerizing spell of the song. (This is such a pretty tune. Is this one of her new songs?) "Wow. This is so nice." She whispered.  
  
"Yes. She is very talented." Quatre whispered back. "Um, you know, I uh, I play violin too."  
  
Mercury looked at him. "Really? I'd like to hear that sometime."  
  
Quatre smiled. Mercury smiled back. Neptune saw it all and slowed her song down a little to a more romantic tune. She smiled at the two, staring at each other like high school sweethearts.  
  
Wufei P.O.V.  
  
Dinner had been uneventful. Though Mars had come in and announced that her 'vision' had been a mere nightmare, it was quite obvious to Wufei that she had been lying. (What had she seen that had upset her so?) He cursed himself and he walked slowly and deliberately down the hall. (Why am I thinking about this? So what if some crazy onna had gotten frightened over some dream and pushed me away from her. Why am I thinking about this?) He stopped and slammed his fist against the wall. (What is she doing to me?! I've gotten too soft.) He crossed his arms and continued walking.  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
Mars watched Wufei leave quickly, as though he hated being around the company. She hesitated going after him. But a nudge from Rini told her the little princess's opinion. Mars smiled at her and followed Wufei. She looked down the hall and saw Venus push Duo into the target hall. Looking down the other way, she saw Wufei suddenly punch the wall. He crossed his arms and kept walking.  
  
Mars bit her lip. (He looks pretty mad.) She stood up straight and glared after him. (Well, it's not like I hurt him or anything. Why is he so pissed?) She walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. He whipped around, snatched her hand and put a gun to her throat. Mars reacted immediately and punched him as hard as she could, before she or Wufei remembered who the other was, the gun skittered away on the floor, and Mars was pinned to the floor with a katana against her throat.  
  
She blinked a few times. "Um."  
  
His eyes widened and lifted the katana and thrust it back into his belt. He hesitated before offering Mars a hand up. She took it and stood.  
  
She dusted her skirt off. Wufei walked over and retrieved his gun. "You shouldn't do that." He said. "I could have shot you."  
  
"I could have toasted you, so we're even."  
  
Wufei said nothing.  
  
Mars looked at him, but avoided his eyes. "Um, I wanted to explain what happened, in there. You know. That thing."  
  
Wufei looked at the wall. (I have to be my usual self. No more of this weakness.) "You don't have to explain anything. You were frightened." (Yes, I frightened you.) He closed his eyes and walked off.  
  
Mars looked after him. (Yes, I was frightened. Of course I was. But why is he so cold about it?)  
  
Wufei glanced behind him. (Good, she's not going to press it. I don't need to deal with her insecurities.) He stopped. (Then why do I feel as though I betrayed her?) Wufei cursed himself again. (Stop it. You are growing weak around this onna. She is weak. I have to be stronger.) He started walking again. Glancing backwards again, he saw that Mars was no longer there. (For the best.) He told himself as he shoved his emotions away.  
  
  
  
Well, what do you think? This chapter was a little intense, but the next few are going to be a little more light. So, I guess you know who Mercury is going to pair up with. Hmmm, should I make Wufei a bad guy? Maybe I will, or maybe not. It depends how I feel the next few days. R&R. See ya later! 


	13. Love is in the air

Chapter 13: Love is in the air  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam wing.  
  
Hi, friends! Here are a bunch of scenes that lay out the couples if you have been totally blind and don't know what they are by now. But, first I have to write about Mars fire reading. She does have to follow orders, after all. Here it is!!  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
Mars sat down in front of the fireplace in her bedroom. Her Majesty told her to do a fire reading, so she would do one. Mars took a deep breath. The crystals would not take her this time. Shifting her fingers into the appropriate symbols, she sank swiftly into the trance.  
  
There was darkness again. Mars pulled her conscious together and looked around for the crystals. But there was nothing. No crystals. Just the same star-specked space she normally saw when she meditated. Mars mentally frowned. She cautiously searched for her planet. It was there, as though it had always been. Mars sighed. It must have been merely a nightmare after all.  
  
There was a quiet knock on the door. "Come in." Mars called to the door behind her, still staring into the flames. The door opened with a slight creak and almost silent footsteps padded up behind her. Mars laughed. "I see you knocked this time, Wufei."  
  
Mars saw him almost smile as he sat down next to her. "Yes. So, is this what you call a fire reading?"  
  
"No, I've already done it. Nothing."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Mars turned to him. "Wufei-"  
  
"I told you, you do not have to explain anything."  
  
"Then why did you come up here?"  
  
Wufei looked back at her. "I don't know why."  
  
Mars smiled and looked back into the fire. "I really wish I could explain. But even if you wanted to hear it, I probably couldn't explain it anyway."  
  
Wufei almost smiled again and looked into the fire as well.  
  
Venus P.O.V.  
  
Eating dinner had definitely raised Venus's spirits and she pulled Duo out on a walk with her. They passed the target hall and Venus got an idea.  
  
"Hey! Let's play Target!"  
  
"Play what?" Duo looked at her.  
  
"Target! It's called Laser Tag by some of the other people, but we call it Target." Venus smiled at him and squeezed his arm. "Pleeeeeze? Can we play?"  
  
"Well." Duo looked at the doors in front of them. They were crossed with two lightning bolts.  
  
"Please." Venus put on her 'pouting baby' face.  
  
"Aw, babe, you know I can't resist. Let's go." Duo grinned back at her.  
  
"Yeah!" Venus opened the doors and pulled Duo in. There were two wooden doors inside. "Alright, when you get inside, put on your gear, when you come out, try and get me!" With that she bounced into the door on the right.  
  
Duo looked after her and entered the door on the left. Inside was a strange thing that slightly resembled a laser gun, a helmet and a vest that looked surprisingly like a bullet vest. Duo gulped. (Am I going to have to shoot at her?) Putting on the gear, he was surprised to find it fit him perfectly. After picking up the gun-thing, a door slid open in front of him, and he hand to step back in surprise. There were short walls and large poles scattered around the room. And everything was sprayed with streaks and splashes of neon paint.  
  
"Come on, Duo! Be a challenge!" Dou looked towards Venus's voice and felt a warm heat against his shoulder. He looked down and saw a splash of orange neon starting to disappear into his shirt.  
  
He smiled and jumped behind a wall. Peeking around, he saw Venus creeping around. Raising the bulky gun-thing, he suddenly felt a tinge of guilt. (I feel like I'm really shooting her.) But he brushed it aside and fired. A gush of neon green hit her directly in the stomach. Duo saw her smirk and jump behind a wall. "That's more like it, Duo!" She yelled.  
  
Duo didn't answer. (Can't give away my location.) Carefully checking to see if Venus was there, he dashed to the low wall a few feet away. He hit his stomach just as a spray of orange hit the top of the wall, splashed over and prickled his back with warm spots. He almost heard her slid around the wall to get over him for a better shot. Duo sprang up and shot twice. He saw one miss but the other hit her in the shoulder. She fired back at him and got him in the chest.  
  
Duo leapt over the wall and got behind a pole, narrowly missing another shot. A warm feeling in his leg reminded him to jerk it back behind the pole. He could hear Venus padding up to the other side of the pole. Duo smirked and leapt around the wall at her. (Gotcha, babe.) A warm feeling in his chest made him smile as he tackled her. Venus burst out laughing. Duo sat on her and got her three times in the chest while she laughed hysterically.  
  
Mercury P.O.V.  
  
Mercury realized she was staring into Quatre's eyes about the same time he did. She looked away, and tried not to smile as she felt heat rising to her cheeks. A stolen glace to Quatre told her he was blushing as well. A long note from Neptune's violin ended her song. Mercury looked around and saw they were the only ones left in the living room.  
  
Neptune let out a dramatic yawn. "I'm so tired. I should get to bed." She winked at Mercury and set her violin practically next to Quatre. "Feel free to strum out a few notes." She said as she walked off.  
  
Mercury looked at the violin. "Um, why don't you play something?"  
  
Quatre looked back at her and smiled again. "Sure." He picked up the violin and bow gingerly. He stood up in front of Mercury and paused, as if considering what to play. Closing his eyes, he pulled the bow across the strings in a long, sweet note. Growing into an energetic melody, Mercury leaned into the arm of the chair, falling into the song.  
  
When it ended, Mercury stood up. "That was wonderful!"  
  
Quatre set the violin down. "Thank you, Miss, I mean, Mercury."  
  
He smiled. Mercury smiled back. She felt his sky blue eyes surround her. At that moment, everything felt so right in the world.  
  
Jupiter P.O.V.  
  
The kitchen wasn't too dirty, so cleaning was easy. Neptune's song drifted through the door and helped set a sweet mood to the room. Uranus stepped out into the kitchen a few minutes after the song began, yawning widely. A moment after her came Trowa, also looking very tired. Wiping up the counter, she slapped down the rag and walked toward the living room door. Heero marched through the door at that moment and walked right into Jupiter.  
  
"Oh!" She stepped back. "Hey, Heero. Going to bed?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"You shouldn't grunt like that, it's bad manners."  
  
Heero looked at her. "Hn."  
  
Jupiter went over to him and slung her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Heero, talk to me. Why are you so anti-social?"  
  
Heero ducked out of her arm. (What is she doing?) "I'm going to bed." And added after another thought, "Good night."  
  
"Not so fast, Heero Yuy." Jupiter pulled him over to her, and held his back to her in a crushing hug. "Now will you please answer my question?"  
  
Heero sighed. "I want to go to bed."  
  
Jupiter squeezed him harder. "That was not my question, Heero. Tell me, why are you so anti-social?"  
  
Heero pushed against her arms. "I just am."  
  
"Alright then." She released him and he stumbled forward. "Good night." Jupiter gave him a cheerful smile.  
  
Heero looked at her and left. The white marble hallways were dark and solemn without the sunlight streaming through the windows. (What was she doing?) Heero frowned. He rubbed his shoulder. (She seems very strong. And she circuited my gun too. They all must have these strange powers. These are not good people to make your enemies.) Heero frowned. He didn't like how close she was. He had felt so strange. (I do not like this.)  
  
So, how was it? Do you like the nice scenes I made up? I tried to keep Heero's personality the same, but he may end up opening up a little in the near future. Well, R&R!! See ya soon!!! 


	14. Another day

Chapter 14: Another day  
  
Hi people!! Oh, I totally forgot to thank all of you for all of the lovely reviews!! ^_~ Here's a few more love scenes, and I'm really trying to give each couple equal time in the spotlight, but Mars and Wufei are turning into a hot couple! And for your reading pleasure, here is another installment of One Summer Day.  
  
Serenity P.O.V.  
  
Serenity laid down in her wide bed and closed her eyes. (My Scouts, what are you doing? Yes, these boys are our guests, but you know better than to get attached to them.) Serenity opened her eyes again and recalled the noisy laughing she heard when she passed by the Target hall. And she had seen that Wufei leave Mars room far too late. (She couldn't be.) Serenity shook her head at the darkness of her bedroom. (No, she has always been the sensible one. Of all of them, Mars would know better. She must have. been showing him her fire reading. Yes. That must be it.) Serenity pretended to buy her own lie, rolled on her side, and went to sleep.  
  
Trowa P.O.V.  
  
Going to sleep was almost too easy, even after such and easy-going day. (Perhaps it was all the excitement. Getting pushed ahead in time and all.) The next day came almost too quickly. Although there were no windows or clocks in his room, he knew it was around sunrise. Rising quickly, he reached for his clothes from yesterday and found a black, long sleeved shirt and jeans instead. (Katherine must have taken them to wash them.) He mentally hit himself. (No, not Katherine. She is Laytha. Perhaps I will ask whether she is related to a girl named Katherine.)  
  
Going downstairs, he found Duo walking quietly down the stairs. "Hey, Trowa, Nobody's up yet. I just checked, they're all still in bed."  
  
About to ask why Duo was looking in their rooms, Trowa decided against it. Entering the kitchen, Trowa and Duo found the other three boys sitting silently around the table, each with a cup of coffee. There were two more mugs sitting on the counter next to a coffee pot. Trowa poured Duo and himself a cup. Duo yawned loudly before taking his.  
  
"I guess these girls aren't exactly early-risers." Duo commented.  
  
"They probably aren't used to daybreak missions like we are." Heero said into his cup.  
  
"No, we're smart enough to plan them for the afternoon." Everyone spun around to see Jupiter pushing open the door.  
  
Heero snorted and looked away. "Nice pajamas."  
  
Jupiter looked down at her outfit. It was simply a green t-shirt that was a bit too small and pale green boxers. Jupiter looked back at Heero and stuck her tongue out at him. "So who want pancakes for breakfast?" She asked, moving to the stove.  
  
"I do!!" Came a loud chorus from behind the door. Venus, Neptune, Laytha, Mercury and Pluto came through the door. Each was wearing the same ensemble Jupiter had, only in their respective colors. Orange for Venus, dark blue for Neptune, Laytha had a silver gray top and shorts, Mercury was wearing sky blue, and Pluto had on a purple outfit with her hair tied back with a matching purple ribbon.  
  
All of them gave the boys a cheerful hello. All but Heero gave nods in return. Soon the kitchen was full. Everyone had one-by-one come down for breakfast.  
  
"These pancakes are even better than usual! Jupiter are you baking them extra nice for someone extra special?" Venus teased. No one took much notice of her comment, but out of the corner of her eye, Venus saw Heero tense. Venus smiled widely. (Of course! If every one else gets a guy, then why shouldn't Jupiter!) She scarfed down another mouthful of blueberry pancake.  
  
Laytha P.O.V.  
  
Laytha heard the comment made by Venus, but dismissed it as another playful jab by the Goddess of Love. Laytha smiled over the syrup bottle. (She's always playing around with love. Love really shouldn't be tampered with.)  
  
After breakfast was all cleaned up, everyone trotted back upstairs for showers. Since each room (luckily) had their own bathroom, everyone was ready for the day in about half an hour. Each went their separate ways this time and all of the girls claimed they didn't care whether the guys came along. Venus obviously cared and before anyone got too far, she cried out an excellent suggestion. "Let's go shopping!" Now, even though the cliché goes that all girls love to shop, there were a few who didn't want to leave. Uranus insisted that she had to finish fixing her car in time for the race next week and couldn't leave for a whole day. Pluto also complained that she had to do a routine scan on the space-time continuum. Eventually, only Laytha, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune and Mercury were left. And mercury only decided to come because the new physics book was supposed to be in at the bookstore.  
  
Quatre pulled Mercury to one side before they left. "Won't the people be a little strange around you, considering, well." He trailed off.  
  
"Oh, no!" Mercury assured him. "They don't know about our powers. We keep a very good check on them, especially when we're dealing with other people. All they know is that we are the princess's guardians."  
  
"Oh."  
  
The day turned out to be more than a blast for the girls and a brand new experience for the boys, except for Duo. Venus got into a fight with a sales clerk and Jupiter had to restrain her, before the woman said something about her mother, then Mars, Mercury, and Neptune had to restrain both Venus and Jupiter. Each girl tried on at least four dresses, (only three in Mercury's case) and Venus bought one for each of the other Scouts who didn't come. Jupiter elbowed Heero twice for almost pulling his gun on somebody. Mars didn't have such and easy time controlling her escort. Wufei seemed determined to pick a fight with someone. (Though he wouldn't admit it, the men were all filthy perverts who stared at Mars the wrong way when she wasn't looking, and he was merely protecting her honor.)  
  
Of all the boys, it was surprisingly Quatre who go the worst load. Once Mercury got into the bookstore, she was buying at least ten new books. Afterwards, Quatre realized why the palace library was so big. Neptune bought little, except a few new dresses and a new violin case. Despite all they bought, the girls had a very low bill. Crystal Tokyo is of course, an almost perfect place, and the people have no reason to charge high prices. The group ate out in a pizza place and poor Trowa nearly burned his mouth when he bit into the pizza before it had cooled. Even Heero smiled a few times in the course of the day. All and all, it was a good day.  
  
When everyone got back to the palace, since no one was hungry, and the other Scouts had pulled something together for dinner, each went their separate ways again.  
  
Laytha P.O.V.  
  
Laytha didn't even have to ask Trowa to come along with her. He followed her as faithfully as a little brother. When they got to the gym, they both went right to the balance beams and mats.  
  
"Katherine, you want me to spot you?"  
  
Laytha turned around. "I'm Laytha, remember?" She laughed. A slight tinge appeared on Trowa's cheeks. Laytha sighed. "Just who is this Katherine anyway?"  
  
Trowa looked up. "She was a very good friend back home. It's so strange, you look exactly like her. Do you have a cousin or relative named Katherine?"  
  
Laytha hopped up on the beam. "No, all my relatives are gone." She slouched over and looked at the ground. "I'll tell you what's strange, I don't think I've thought about my other family once since I became a Scout."  
  
"You're a Scout, too? But why aren't you named after a planet?"  
  
Laytha straightened again. "Oh, but I am. Laytha is a small planet just outside the orbit of Mars. The planet was only discovered in the last century. Kind of weird, my powers were inactive for so long, then I blew up at a salesperson and almost blew his head open. Luckily, the other Scouts were there, saw the symbol on my forehead, that happens when a Scout uses too much power for the first time, and they brought me back to the palace."  
  
Trowa sidestepped along with her as she dipped into a series of slow back walkovers. "The salesman's head? How did you blow it open?"  
  
She straightened. "I told you, I didn't really blow his head open. He was in Pluto's nurse office for a few weeks in a coma. See, my power is of the mind. I can destroy people from the inside."  
  
Trowa stopped and looked at her strangely. Laytha laughed. "No, I have perfect control over my powers, just like the others. I haven't blown anyone's head off." She giggled. "So far."  
  
Heero's P.O.V  
  
Heero decided he wouldn't follow anyone, but take a walk on his own. He was walking down the hallway in the front of the palace when Rini tapped his leg. He looked down at the pink-haired little girl and a smile inched across his normally emotionless features. Rini tugged at his shirt and he bent down to hear her.  
  
Rini leaned close to his ear, as though she were telling a secret. "Jupiter's in one of the sparing rooms. You should go see her."  
  
Heero pulled away and looked at the little princess. She smiled and skipped off to Saturn, who was waiting down the hall. He stood and looked after her. He rubbed his arms where she had elbowed him earlier. (It would do good to keep in practice. Who knows when that queen of theirs will find a way to send us home?) He looked down the hall in the opposite direction. Heero sighed and set off for the sparing rooms.  
  
He stopped in front of a set of rooms. The room Jupiter was in was obvious, she had left the door slightly open and the light flowed out through the crack. Heero opened it cautiously and stopped. (Why am I doing this?) But the feeling dropped to the bottom of his mind.  
  
Jupiter was inside the door, with her back to it, kicking and beating at an invisible enemy. She stopped a moment after Heero stepped in the door. "Hey, Heero."  
  
Heero resisted snorting. (Does she really know her friends so well she can identify who comes in behind her?) "Rini said you were here."  
  
Jupiter laughed quietly. "I sometimes am."  
  
"She said you could use a sparing partner."  
  
"Did she?"  
  
"Do you?" Heero suddenly wanted to leave. (What am I thinking? Why did I just lie to her just to stay here?)  
  
"I sure could. Bring it on, Heero Yuy." She turned and assumed a stance. Heero couldn't help but smile. He shifted his feet and lowered his head. And the fight began.  
  
Jupiter was by far the most experienced fighter hero had ever fought hand-to-hand. Everything came lightning speed and he blocked and returned with everything he could pull. He couldn't help laughing. It was one of the few times Heero had ever felt released like this. And as soon as it had begun, it ended. It had only been about a half an hour, but both hero and Jupiter put everything into it and Heero felt himself tire a bit before he noticed it in Jupiter. Then Jupiter swept him off his feet and he took her down with him. The two fighters simply lay on the floor, waiting for their strength to come back.  
  
"Your.pretty fast."  
  
"You too." Heero looked over at her. That same feeling he had gotten when she caught him in her crushing 'hug' came flooding back to him. Heero looked away. (What is this?!) Heero pulled his hand up and ran it across his cheek. He felt warm and strange. (What is she doing to me?)  
  
Well, that's all, folks! How do you like it? Sorry, no Mars/Wufei in this chapter. Hey people!!! I really want your opinion on this!! I was thinking about how lonely Pluto looked and I was thinking maybe I could stuff Zechs in a portal and push him into this time. What do you think? (Oh, and I will be calling him Zechs, not his real name because this is easier to spell.) So, tell me what you think? Tell me in a review or just email me! mmj15@aol.com See ya!! 


	15. Another stranger

Chapter 15: Another Stranger  
  
Hey! It's been a few days since I updated, but here it is! I decided to go ahead on the Pluto/Zechs thing. Maybe it will turn out okay. Anyway, he shows up in this chapter, and also a little twist occurs. But you'll have to read to find out!!!! By the way, I have no idea how long I might make this story, but using the outline I have in my head right now (which will probably change) I would say this is about a little less than half done. Maybe. Anyway, here's the chapter!  
  
Saturn P.O.V.  
  
Saturn stared out her bedroom window into the night. Though it was cool inside, Saturn could almost feel the heat filling the outside air. She turned away. (Why do I fell so strange right now? Wait!) Her head jerked up and she once again pressed her face to the window. (I feel it, but where is it?) She turned quickly and snatched up her robe. She realized she wouldn't need it and tossed it down again on her way out the door.  
  
The hallway was silent; not even the loud snores usually emitting from Duo's room could be heard. (Do they feel it too?) Saturn brushed her short, black hair out of her face as she shook her head. (Of course they don't feel it.) She looked at the floor. (They feel life, not Death.) She sighed quietly and made her way to the stairs. Descending slowly, she nimbly hopped over the third step from the bottom, knowing it creaked.  
  
Saturn looked around the main hall and sighed again. In daylight the hall was an uplifting place, but at night it was the most depressing, almost morbid area in the whole palace. Remembering what she came down to find, Saturn slipped out the castle doors and headed towards the forbidding shadow of the North Tower. Looking around she spotted what she felt was there almost immediately. A person, no a man, with long white hair lay next to the palace, on his side with the long grass all but hiding him.  
  
Saturn looked at him for a long moment and started over towards him. Carefully stepping over twigs she looked around to see whether anyone was around. (There's no one here. How did he get past the wall? And why is he injured?) Yes the man was indeed injured. Even from at least four feet away, Saturn could not only smell, but feel the blood that ran down his torso. She stepped forward a few more steps and checked around for anyone else. Empty silence filled the courtyard. She knelt down next to the wounded man and lifted his head slightly. A soft groan escaped his chest. Laying him back down, Saturn smiled. (You don't have to worry now. Death will not claim you yet.) Saturn picked up a handful of the man's shirt and pushed it into his wound. He moaned again and rolled over onto his stomach. Saturn made sure the cloth was pushed between him and the ground before she ran off.  
  
Saturn dashed up the stairs, not bothering to skip the third step, and ran right to Pluto's room. Pluto rolled over in her bed and looked at the small figure in black pajamas breathing heavily in her door way. "Saturn? What is it?" Pluto stifled a yawn as the girl drew in breaths.  
  
"There's a man.outside."  
  
Pluto sat up quickly. "An intruder?!"  
  
Saturn waved her hands at Pluto. "No no! He's injured badly. I felt he was dying from my bedroom and I went down to see. I don't recognize him, but he's going to die if we don't hurry!"  
  
Pluto motioned for her to lower her voice. "Hush, Saturn. Go wake the others, but leave the boys down. Tell them what happened and to have some power ready when they come down. I will port him and myself to my office, tell them to meet me there." Saturn nodded and turned. "Wait!" Pluto hissed. "Where is he?"  
  
"Under the north tower. Right next to it. Hurry!"  
  
Pluto got up and quickly but calmly made her way outside. (No use wasting my energy. This man might be an enemy.) She rounded the corner slowly checking for other enemies. There were none. She spotted the young man, or more rather his hair and knelt next to him. In the shadows, she couldn't make out his features. Ignoring the soft cry of pain Pluto leaned him up and concentrated. Feeling the warmer temperatures, she opened her eyes. She was now standing next to her worktable in her nurse's office. Pulling her hands out from under the man, she went over and turned on the light. A soft cry once again slipped from the man. Pluto pulled bandages from the cabinet and turned to the man.  
  
She almost dropped her armful. The man on the table was absolutely gorgeous. A smooth jaw and perfect cheeks rimmed his face with an attractive nose centered perfectly on his face. Pluto wandered over to him and smoothed his milk-white hair. The shining red blood across his chest reminded her of what she had to do. Dropping her utensils on the tray, she picked up her scissors and cut open his now soaked shirt. Trying no to look at his muscular chest, Pluto quickly soaked up the blood and bandaged the wound. Looking back up at him, Pluto felt her cheeks heat.  
  
Turning away she saw the Scouts looking in the doorway. Venus giggled. "Hey, Pluto. He looks like your type."  
  
Pluto snorted indignantly. "Shoo. All of you. He is in no position to attack anything so you may as well go back to bed."  
  
Mars stepped forward. "it's almost dawn so we may as well stay up."  
  
"Waffles on me!" Jupiter cried, walking away. The others followed. Saturn lingered in the doorway before smirking at Pluto, glancing at the man on the table, and skipping off.  
  
Pluto laughed at her and silently thanked Jupiter. Turning to the handsome man, she continued to clean the blood off.  
  
Heero's P.O.V.  
  
The girls were already up when he came downstairs. He looked at them and nodded a good morning. Catching sight of Jupiter, he looked away, vaguely feeling the familiar feeling rise to his cheeks again. (What is this?) Heero sat at the table and took up his mug of coffee. Sipping at it, he listened to the gossip of the girls around the table.  
  
"He's so cute!" Venus exclaimed.  
  
"Well, I guess it you like that type." Mercury murmured, glancing at Quatre, who just walked in the door.  
  
"That type?!" Venus countered.  
  
"Yeah, he probably cares only for his looks and is a complete airhead." Neptune snorted.  
  
"Who are you guys talking about?" Duo said, following Quatre through the door.  
  
"This totally hot guy Pluto found!"  
  
"Hot guy?" Duo looked slightly put out.  
  
"Oh, Duo." She went over and put her arm around his shoulders and steered him to a seat next to her. "Nobody's hotter than you." Duo beamed at the rest of the room.  
  
"Hear that everyone? I'm hot."  
  
Jupiter laughed from the stove. "Come and get it! Alright Heero," She went over and plopped a plate in front of Heero. "Eat up! You'll need your strength." She added in his ear. Heero's face brightened quickly. Quatre noted this, but said nothing. Heero looked at his plate and started eating.  
  
Mercury stood up and stretched. "Well, I'd better go help Pluto with an evaluation on that guy. See you." She waved at the rest of the room as she left. Wufei stood up at his silent end of the table.  
  
"Hey, where did you find this strange man?"  
  
"Out under the North Tower. Why?" Mars answered  
  
"Don't you think it's a bit odd that we are found unconscious on a raft out to sea, and only a few days later, you find a strange man on the palace grounds?"  
  
Heero swallowed a mouthful of waffle and spoke up. "Wufei's right. We should go down there with you, he might come from where we do."  
  
"Well, then you better hurry up and move it. Mercury's got him in the examination room right now." Pluto said, pushing open the door. "He's still unconscious, but he should wake up soon. Just letting you all know, if you want to come down and hear what she found." She left as quickly as she had come. He kitchen was silent for a long moment. Jupiter calmly turned off the stove and went after her. The others looked at each other and quickly followed.  
  
A few minutes later, the Inner Scouts, Pluto, Neptune and the boys were all down in Mercury's lab waiting for her to finish. At last, she clicked off the computer screen and turned around. "Now, this is a little surprising so I want you all to once again not interrupt me and keep all reaction until the end. I did a body search on him, like on the boys," She nodded to Duo, Heero, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei, all standing in a, loose group. "And guess what I found." Not waiting for them to guess, "More Gundamium Alloy." He boys visibly stiffened. "Now I did another and found almost the identical metals I found before. But According to records there was supposedly only five Gundams made." Duo was about to interrupt, but Mercury held up her hand. "Yes, I know. I did a more advanced search and found that a few more were made. This man occupied one, until it was destroyed, then another, until it was destroyed. He supposedly died with it."  
  
"Guess not." Venus muttered.  
  
Duo held up his hand. "Can I say something now?" Mercury smiled and nodded. "I think we know who it is."  
  
"Zechs Marquise. He was an enemy of ours." Heero's hand went to his side and he felt his gun as he recalled last time they met.  
  
Jupiter looked over at him. "Was?"  
  
Wufei spoke. "Was. He destroyed a piece of metal crashing to earth and the blast was supposed to have killed him. But a year later, he came back and aided us in a battle, then disappeared again."  
  
"He went off with a friend of ours, Noin." Quatre put in.  
  
"So something must have happened that pushed him into a portal." Pluto said, running her fingers along the tube he was under. "That might explain the injury."  
  
"Hey, everybody, hello?" Mercury waved her hand in the air and called the attention to her. "I'm not done and this could definitely alter a few plans. This, Zechs, he has power sprinkled on him." In the silence that followed Mercury got many stares that conveyed the idea they didn't know how important this was. "Since he has power on him, he can be the link to the other time! The time key would work! Well, actually, it would only carry all of you boys if a few of us came along to supply power, but you all can go home!" She shouted the words, and instead of happy faces, got looks at the floor and fallen expressions. What her news actually meant hit Mercury right then. "Oh."  
  
Hey, Mercury found a way to get them back home!!!! But the guys will have to leave Crystal Tokyo!! Did I lie when I said this story was only half done? What will happen next? Will Zechs ever even meet Pluto? Will mars and Wufei ever kiss? Will anyone else? Who knows? Even I don't!!! Like before-R&R!! Tell me what you think! 


	16. Remembering the past

Chapter 16: Remembering the Past  
  
Hi! Here's that new chapter!! So let's see how everyone is going to take being able to go home! Will they even want to? Oh, and just letting you know, the guys who had girlfriends at the end of Endless Waltz, well, those are the girlfriends they have now. Wufei/Sally, Duo/Hilde, Heero/Relena, and Trowa/Katherine. Quatre has those guys who work for him, but they're just friends. And, of course, Zechs had Noin. This will make a bit more sense once you read the chapter. (I only wrote this little reminder to update everyone who hasn't seen Endless Waltz, which they really should see.) So, that being said, on with the chapter!!!  
  
Duo's P.O.V.  
  
Duo had been avoiding Venus ever since everyone got out of the lab. Zechs still hadn't woken up, so that issue was postponed for a while. Duo sat down on the steps and put his hands on his forehead. (What was I thinking, playing around with Venus? I have a girlfriend!!! What was I doing?) A swish of blonde hair in the corner of his eye told him Venus was watching him. (How can I tell her? She'll think I'm the pits.Cheating on my girlfriend, even though we're in different time zones, well, different time periods. Geez, what was I thinking? What would Hilde say if she found out how I was acting?) He shook his head again and marched slowly upstairs to his room, satisfied to see that Venus didn't follow him.  
  
(And after all we've been through together.) Duo ran through his memory, trying to find one time with Hilde where he felt as happy as he felt that day he and Venus played Target. He dropped his hands and flopped down on the bed.  
  
A cruel, sarcastic little voice played in the back of his head. (Yeah that's right, Duo. You don't feel anything for Venus; she's just a friend. Is that what you will tell yourself when you remember that game and you start wishing that you felt that happy when you're around Hilde? Hmmm? Is that what you will tell yourself when you are holding Hilde and wishing for Venus?)  
  
"Stop it." Duo growled at himself as he rolled over on his back. "I do love Hilde, she has always made me happy. She understands what I went through."  
  
But the nasty little voice wouldn't give up. (Don't forget, Duo. Remember those powers of hers. Venus has probably been through worse stuff than you.)  
  
Duo clutched his hands to his face again. "I can't do this."  
  
Mercury P.O.V.  
  
Mercury stood in the doorway of the library, looking at Quatre. He sat, half sprawled, on one of the bigger chairs. She walked in quietly and sat beside him. Quatre sat up and looked at the floor. There was a long moment of silence.  
  
Mercury finally spoke. "So, you'll be going home. You, um, should be happy."  
  
Quatre offered a weak smile. "I am happy. I'll get to see everyone again."  
  
"Do you have a girlfriend to go back to?" Mercury asked quietly.  
  
"No!" He said with such force that Mercury looked at him. "Um, no." He said in a quieter tone. "It's strange."  
  
"What is?"  
  
"I came here and then I couldn't wait to get home, but now that I have the chance to go home, I almost don't want to go."  
  
Mercury chuckled, almost jokingly. "It's the city. Crystal Tokyo does that to you."  
  
Quatre looked into Mercury's sky blue eyes. Mercury felt herself blushing again. "It's not the city that makes me want to stay."  
  
Mercury leaned over on his shoulder and closer her eyes. "I wish you would.I wish you could stay." Quatre touched her arm, but said nothing.  
  
Trowa's P.O.V.  
  
"It will be so odd, once I get home; I have gotten so used to calling you Laytha, I will be calling Katherine that."  
  
Laytha stood up out of her backbend. "You won't forget me, will you?" When Trowa didn't answer, she looked away.  
  
A dozen responses ran through Trowa's head. (I couldn't forget you, not even if I tried. Not in a million years. How could I possibly forget.) He shook his head. "Never."  
  
Laytha looked at him. "Never?"  
  
Trowa felt himself smiling. "Ever."  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
"So you'll be going home then. You probably have someone there waiting for you. She'll be happy you're home." Mars said to Wufei's back as he stood up from another bout of push-ups.  
  
He turned around. "Sally's not so much waiting for me. But I suppose she would be happy I came back." Mars could see his suppressed smile.  
  
Mars hugged herself. "Is she your girlfriend?" Wufei didn't answer. "I um, I should be going. Jupiter may need help with dinner." She walked towards the door, hoping he would call her back or say something. When he didn't, she bit her lip and walked out.  
  
"It's not even lunchtime yet." She heard him say to himself after the doors had closed. Mars leaned against them and lowered her head.  
  
Heero's P.O.V.  
  
Once again, Heero found himself on the receiving end of Jupiter's thrusts and kicks. For the moment, he stayed on defense. Normally, Jupiter would have poked fun at him doing nothing but dodging and blocking, but today, she said nothing. Suddenly angry at her for not saying anything, Heero opened up and went on the offensive. (Why doesn't she say anything? Does she want me to go home?) His own question surprised even him and Jupiter seized his surprise and took him down. As always, Heero took her down with him.  
  
"You didn't say anything." He said. He almost smiled. The fight was so short this time; he wasn't out of breath as much.  
  
"It didn't seem the right time to be making fun of you. You'll be going home as soon as that Zechs guy wakes up."  
  
"That could be months, even years from now." Heero frowned. (Am I making excuses now? What am I doing? I should be happy I am going back. I could protect Relena then.) Heero closed his eyes. (Is that what I want again? To go back and protect her?) Heero could have sighed. It did feel somewhat good to feel as though he didn't have to protect Jupiter. His eyes snapped open. (Are you putting Jupiter in Relena's place?) Staring at the ceiling, he stopped another sigh. (What is happening?)  
  
Pluto's P.O.V.  
  
Pluto once again found herself staring at the man lying as though dead on the table. She shook her head. (He's not dead and you shouldn't be getting attached.) Zechs stirred again. It was the third time this morning since the examination he had moved as though he were going to wake up any second. "Noin." He muttered again. He had also said that more than a few times this morning. Pluto frowned and smoothed his hair. Sighing, she checked his bandage. It was secure and tight.  
  
"Pluto?" She turned around. Neptune was at the door. "Lunch." She smiled softly and left.  
  
Pluto sighed again and put on her wristwatch. Placing the small, blinking device over Zechs's heart, she smiled as the thing stopped blinking. (This should tell me if his status changes while I'm gone.) She told herself as she walked down the hall, boots clicking against the marble floors.  
  
Five minutes later everyone was sitting at the table, eating a silent lunch. Even Venus and Duo, who were normally chatting away, were silent and distant. Pluto looked up and down the table. Indeed everyone looked solemn and grim.  
  
Another ten minutes later, while everyone was still silent, Pluto's watched beeped twice and startled half the table. Pluto looked at it for a moment, and realized what it meant. "He's awake." She whispered. The whole group was down the hall and standing in the doorway of the office in ten seconds flat. Zechs was indeed awake and trying to sit up, grasping at the small device placed on his chest. Pluto helped him up and removed the small piece.  
  
"Where am I?" He forced out.  
  
"My office. You've been unconscious for at least four hours. Possibly more; we found you outside the palace."  
  
"Palace? Is Noin here?"  
  
Pluto looked over at the boys pointedly. Quatre stepped forward. "No, she's not. Just you."  
  
Zechs looked wearily up and focused on Quatre. "I know you. Yes you're one of them."  
  
"He's not the only one, Zechs." Heero stepped out from behind Quatre.  
  
Pluto stepped back from Zechs. He had a faint distaste for Heero, and was unconsciously, (or consciously) she thought, drawing power to him. Pluto poked Zechs. "Stop that." She stepped in front of Heero and cut him off from Zechs's line of sight. "Now, you need to rest. You were badly hurt by something, and you still have not completely recovered." Zechs frowned at her, but complied, and laid back down. Pluto nodded at him and turned around. "Now all of you go." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Just so you know, you all can't leave until he's better, so leave him alone." Heero looked defiantly at her, glanced for a moment at Zechs, and left, followed one by one by the other boys, and then by the girls. Saturn stayed a moment.  
  
Quickly dodging behind Pluto, Saturn appeared at Zechs's bedside. She touched his arm, she said, "Get better, okay. You aren't meant to die yet."  
  
Zechs looked at the small girl. And smiled, slightly. Saturn smiled back and left the room, with the glare of Pluto upon her. Once she was in the hall, Pluto locked the door. "Enough of that."  
  
"Nice girl." Zechs said form behind her. "If a bit depressing."  
  
"She is the Goddess of Death, what do you expect?" Pluto said absently. Her head snapped up as she realized what she had said. "I mean." Pluto searched for an explanation.  
  
After a moment of silence, Zechs spoke up. "What did you mean?"  
  
Pluto turned to him. "I will tell you when you are better. Now get some sleep. Everyone is counting on you to get better."  
  
Zechs watched her quickly replace all the equipment she had left out earlier. He then closed his eyes and let sleep take hold of him.  
  
So people, what do you think? This chapter was a little depressing, I know, but this is a depressing time! Anyway, R&R. Let me know what you think. See ya! 


	17. The next few days

Chapter 17: The next few days  
  
Yeah! Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll! Well, despite what I may end up writing, the guys are perfect for the Inners and Laytha! So there! Even though they may end up going back to their old girlfriends (I kind-of haven't decided yet) don't you agree the pairs I made are perfect? Anyway, here is chapter 17!  
  
The next few days, the crystal palace was very divided. The boys practically slept in the gym, and the girls made no attempt to make them come out. Mars was particularly upset over this.  
  
"They are acting like children! It's like they don't even want to go home!"  
  
Mercury put down her book. "I think they are just trying to detach form us."  
  
A few hours after lunch on the third day, Quatre, Trowa, Heero, and Duo filed out of the gym and apologized to Jupiter for being so immature about the whole ordeal. Wufei, however, remained in the gym and refused to apologize. So, upon pressure form everyone, even Serenity, Mars went in to try to get him to come out. Though Wufei did not completely ignore her, he did make her keep her distance. Another argument ended Mars's patience. She screamed at his juvenile behavior and when he shouted back at her, Mars turned her back on him for several minutes while she tried to calm down. In the end, Wufei went back to chin-ups and Mars, still unhappy, decided to meditate.  
  
She parked on the bench and closed her eyes. Mars began to make small noises in her trance. Mars's breath quickened and Wufei dropped down and looked at her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she jerked awake. Mars seemed dazed for a moment and, catching sight of Wufei, shoved him away. She dashed out of the gym and straight to the Serenity's room.  
  
Mars explained quickly what had happened, so quickly, she stumbled over her words. Mars had had the vision again, the exact same one with the black crystals. Serenity immediately summoned the other Scouts and ordered that Wufei be held in custody and Mercury do an immediate examination for dark energy on him.  
  
The Scouts immediately obliged. With much cursing and struggle, Wufei was tied into a high-density tube in the lab. Mars stayed in the Queen's room, unable to bring herself to do such to Wufei. Uranus and Jupiter stayed outside the door to keep the other boys from interfering, though it was unnecessary; Heero gave strict orders to the other boys to not attempt to struggle against the Scouts.  
  
Mercury did a quick, but thorough search of Wufei. She yelled for the other and pointed out to be a spot of dark power, so small, she had missed it the first time. She separated the piece and analyzed it. Mercury sighed with relief when she was done. The piece was apparently not truly dark, but remnants of in-between, the space one must travel through to get to the gates of time. Upon further inspection, it was discovered the piece was the sole cause of Mars's nightmares. Because Mars opened herself to the powers surrounding her, normally just her own, the piece of in-between broadcasted a signal that warped her conscious into a temporary nightmare. Which also explained why Mars had seen nothing in her fire reading. Simply because Wufei wasn't there.  
  
When the news was relayed to Serenity and Mars, both were relieved. Both came down to the lab and apologized for the rude treatment. Wufei was still upset, of course, and would not admit he was glad he was not the original cause of Mars's scare. After everyone left the lab, breathing with relief, Mars asked Wufei if she could talk with him.  
  
Wufei's P.O.V.  
  
When Mars pulled him over to the side of the empty lab, he expected her to say she was sorry. (Here it comes. Don't think you'll get anything out of me this time, onna.) He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.  
  
"Wufei, I just wanted to tell you," (you're sorry) Wufei mentally finished. "That I wish you weren't going back." (What?!) "I was a little worried about you when I got my first vision, and then I was furious that you might be an enemy when I got my second. But now that I see you aren't our enemy.I wish you could stay with me-us. With us." She corrected herself. Looking away, Wufei noticed she shifted her long, black hair to hide her burning cheeks. (She said 'me'. Why does she want me to stay with her?)  
  
He reached over and brushed her hair back. (What is this? What is this feeling?) Wufei was suddenly very aware of how close to her was. Taking a step back, he suddenly thought of Sally. (Why am I doing this? Sally is waiting for me.) "I should go." He said shakily and made his way to the door. (I wish I could stay too.) Wufei caught the stray thought before it came out of his mouth. (I have Sally. Mars should have someone else.)  
  
The rest of the palace seemed more at ease now the crisis was over. Though it only lasted about fifteen minutes, it was enough to loosen everyone up a bit. Pluto was especially glad no one had ended up hurt. Though Zechs was infinitely better, she still worried.  
  
Pluto's P.O.V.  
  
Zechs was walking around the office again when Pluto came in again. She scolded him. "Stop that, would you?! What would happen if you were to fall and hurt yourself?" Zechs sighed and sat on the table again.  
  
"I hate doing nothing." He complained.  
  
"Well, just thank me for keeping you in here. If I had let you out, Mars would have ended up meditating around you and everyone would have freaked out again." Pluto turned and took out several items from the cabinet.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Mars meditated around Wufei today and ended up having the vision again." Pluto had already explained what had happened last time. "So, since you are up and walking I take it you feel better?"  
  
"Yes, much better."  
  
"Well, lay down. I still have to check your bandages."  
  
Zechs obliged and laid still while the binding was unwound around his middle. "Hmmm." Pluto murmured. (This is healing very quickly. He should be ready to walk around the palace tomorrow. Tonight, if he gets some more rest.)  
  
"Do you think she survived?" Zechs interrupted Pluto's thoughts. He had asked this question more than once.  
  
Pluto smiled weakly. "You've asked me before, and my answer remains. Nion could not have lived through a ship explosion, not when she was right next to the engine. And yes I have scanned the continuum several times, she did not escape through a portal." Pluto hated to be so blunt about something so serious, but he had asked her three times this question, and three times she had told him the truth. Pluto sighed as she pulled the last wrapping tight. (He seems so strong. Is that a front? Is he that strong on the inside too?) She looked at him carefully and saw scars. Not physical ones, but mental wounds. "Another day and you may walk. Serenity may even grant permission for you to return to your own time. For now, rest." She patted the bindings and walked to the door, very aware of his eyes on her back.  
  
Pluto told the others of Zechs's health and told the boys to make sure they had everything they needed together tomorrow. "Oh, and Inners and Laytha, come with me. Queen Serenity wants to see you." She added.  
  
The girls stood before their queen, awaiting instructions. Serenity stood and went to the window. "As you all know, Zechs has recovered and since he is traced with power the time key will indeed work. As some of you may remember, Mercury informed you that his power alone is not enough to make the trip with five others. So, you six shall go with them, for support power." Serenity smiled. "And for a vacation. This whole trial has hit you six the hardest. I want you all to go back with them, and have a good time. You may come back when you please, but I don't want you living down there." Serenity's smile faded. "But I must ask that you not display your powers. From what we know about that time period, it is peaceful. But unless Darkness is about to overthrow the Earth, don't use your powers openly. In private is fine, but in public is not." The smile returned. "But please have fun. Above all else."  
  
The Scouts were silent for a moment. Venus started to laugh. Soon the whole room rang with joyous laughter. Each thanked Serenity profusely before leaving. Everything seemed okay in the world. To the Scouts at least. They would get to stay with the boys, in their own time at least. But when each confessed the good news, a few of them were a little less than overjoyed.  
  
Duo spilled out that he had a girlfriend, but earned an indifferent wave from Venus. "It's not like we're going out or anything."  
  
Wufei calmly explained to Mars that Sally would be waiting for him. Mars laughed and said she would love to meet her.  
  
Trowa did not protest but merely complained of how he wouldn't be able to tell Laytha and Katherine apart.  
  
Differing from the others, Quatre was thrilled to have Mercury come along. He went off in a long talk about all the cities he could show her. For those two, tomorrow wouldn't come soon enough.  
  
Finally, when Pluto mentioned casually that she would be accompanying him on the journey back, Zechs sighed and smiled. "It would be good to have some company."  
  
So the whole palace was in high spirits (or close to it) when they went to bed. The next day would be a big one.  
  
So, what do you think? You know what? I think I have asked that question at the end of all my chapters. How weird. Anyway, I hope you like the little cliffhanger. And yes, I decided not to make Wufei a bad guy. Oh well. Hmmm, that's all I have to say. R&R! Let me know how much you like (or dislike) my stuff! 


	18. Going home

Chapter 18: Going home  
  
Hello, my friends! I hope you all liked my last chapter, so here's the one you've all been waiting for!! The guys and Scouts go back to the Gundam time.Well, I just want to say right now that the city they are in is made up. It's not any real city; I didn't even get it off either of the shows. I hope you like it. So, here it is!!!  
  
The next day, everyone got up extra early upon the insistence of Serenity. She told them, "You want to get there early and hope that the place you will be dropping is empty. Laytha, if anyone sees you, improve his memory a little." The only sad face in the palace was Rini, who wanted desperately to go with them, but had to stay home and continue her studies.  
  
Before they left, each of the Scouts got a purse boost. "Things must be awfully expensive down there, but don't spend all of it!" Neptune said as she handed each of them a stylish handbag.  
  
When it was finally time to go, the small pasture behind the palace was brimming with energy. The Scouts were, of course, excited to be going somewhere, but each had expressed their doubts about putting their lives on a tiny, pink key. But Rini assured them she had used it several times and there was practically no risk. It was finally decided and everyone gathered around Pluto. Since she was the creator of the key, she should be the one to handle it.  
  
"Chronos, keeper of the gates of time, open and let us through!" She shouted and the oval cloud appeared above her and extended to cover the whole group. Needles of light pierced through the cloud and everyone on the clearing started to float. But the group under the cloud ascended right through the hole and disappeared.  
  
The assembly found themselves in-between, the misty, dark place, searching for the gates of time. Following Pluto, they trusted her to know where they were, since she had spent nearly an eternity there. Finally, the mists parted and there stood the pearly gates, guarded by a burly man in a tunic. Pluto stepped to him and told him, "Step aside, Chronos. We wish to pass." The man silently obeyed and the gates swung open.  
  
Despite the distrustful eye he gave Zechs, Chronos muttered in a deep, rumbling voice, "Be careful."  
  
Pluto looked back at him. "We can take care of ourselves."  
  
"It's really windy in here!" Duo shouted after the gates closed and they were hit with the first gust.  
  
"It's supposed to keep the weak from passing! Keep concentrating on your time!" Pluto shouted back to him.  
  
They struggled through the wind, slipping a few times, but eventually made it through the wind. It simply stopped and everyone dropped to the ground. "Is it over?" Venus whined.  
  
"Does that always happen?" Quatre asked, standing up.  
  
"Does what happen, the wind? Yeah." Pluto said over her shoulder, while helping Zechs up.  
  
"Alright, people, let's go." Jupiter said defiantly.  
  
"Guys, now just concentrate on your home, and a portal will appear." Pluto instructed.  
  
The boys simply stood. Duo closed his eyes and groaned in mock concentration. There were a few laughs, but all he really got was a slap across the back of his head by Mars. "Quit messing around, I don't want to be up here all day!"  
  
He sighed and closed his eyes again. A tiny blip of light bounced up and down in front of them. It gradually grew and grew until it was a full- fledged portal. "Finally." Venus yawned.  
  
"Let's go." Mercury pushed past the group and entered the portal. The others followed.  
  
Luckily, the portal led to an abandoned park. Though there was no one around, the park looked surprisingly well kept. There were cherry trees along a path, and the blossoms were just starting to fall.  
  
"Wow, this is so pretty. We hardly ever see cherry blossoms in Crystal Tokyo." Jupiter said, going to stand beneath on of the trees.  
  
"Looks like we're in central park. That's odd. The trees weren't even in bloom when we left." Quatre said, picking up a blossom from the ground.  
  
"Well, it's hard to be exact when you are going back so many centuries. By my estimate, it is around May." Pluto murmured.  
  
"July?!" Duo shouted. "When we left it was only March!"  
  
"I told you, it's hard to be exact."  
  
"Alright. Why don't we catch a cab somewhere? You guys can go make sure your places are still yours and we can explore the city. How about we meet up somewhere and, um, do something?" Jupiter suggested.  
  
"Good idea. There's a restaurant on the corner of Fifth and Carters. Called Le 'Mures, I believe. Meet there at four." Heero said with the efficiency of an officer addressing his troops.  
  
"Yes sir!" Venus said, clicking her heels together and offering a salute. Heero almost smiled, but left towards the buildings.  
  
Each said their temporary goodbyes and went their separate ways. Except for Zechs and the girls. He had lived in space and didn't have a place on Earth. The girls decided to take him along on their 'expedition'.  
  
Quatre P.O.V.  
  
Quatre left central park and looked for a phone, since there weren't any, he decided to catch a cab. Moving slowly towards the partially busy street, he hesitated. (I hate taking cabs in the city.) But he held up his hand and yelled, "Taxi!" and one pulled right up to the curb. Sliding into the seat, he told the driver, "Anywhere with a phone." Closing the door as the taxi drove off, Quatre almost choked at the lack of fresh air. The cab smelled rotten, stagnant, and over all disgusting.  
  
Quatre leaned over in hopes of keeping his breakfast down. The driver called back in a slight Southern slur, "You alright, boy?"  
  
"Fine." Quatre muttered. Suddenly, the car slammed to a stop and Quatre's head crashed into the driver's seat.  
  
"Here's one o' them payphones, boy." The driver called to the back.  
  
"Finally." Quatre said under his breath, trying not to breath more than necessary. Sliding out of the car and tossing the man some of the few dollars in his pocket, he slowly took in the city air that smelled very distinctively like car exhaust, but was comparatively much better than the cab air. Trying not to stumble to the phone, Quatre pulled out a few quarters and slid them into the machine. Starting to recover from the car, he quickly dialed his own number. Surely one of the men would be there.  
  
After three rings, someone picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
  
Quatre recognized the voice. "Jonathan? It's me, Quatre."  
  
"Master Quatre?!" The voice shouted.  
  
"Yes, calm down. I just got back in town, and some friends of mine will need a place to stay. Have you-"  
  
"Everything is in order, Master Quatre. It's good to hear you again. Where have you been?"  
  
"I will explain everything when I get there. I'm not sure exactly what time, but it might be around five, six or even seven. Tell everyone I said hello."  
  
"Yes, Master Quatre." Jonathan's voice quivered. "It's so good to hear you are okay."  
  
"Thank you Jonathan. Good bye." With that he hung up and collected the change left from his call. (I wonder how the others are doing.)  
  
Heero's P.O.V.  
  
Heero did not at all expect his apartment to still be under his name, so he went to a different building, this one right across the street from the park, and rented one. Stuffing the key into his pocket he nodded as the plump woman at the desk told him his room number. "508. You might want to write that down, ya know."  
  
"Hn." Heero didn't pay much attention to the woman, just looked around the shabby, third rate hotel. The tacky wallpaper was almost completely torn off the wall, and the carpet on the floor was stained and matted. (If their lobby is this bad, what is my room going to look like?) He suppressed a sigh and walked out. (I should get to Le 'Mures and get a reservation.) Walking in the direction of Fifth Avenue, he wondered about Duo.  
  
Duo and Trowa's P.O.V.  
  
They left the park and walked in the opposite direction of the others. Duo led Trowa, and told him multiple times that he knew where he was going. It wasn't ten minutes before they were lost.  
  
"Duo, we are lost."  
  
"No we're not. See there's a phone right there." Duo walked up to it. "After you." He said waving Trowa inside the booth.  
  
Trowa looked at Duo. After examining the phone, he concluded that it did work and put four quarters in. It was expensive to call up to the colonies. After dialing the numbers, someone picked up. "Circus Spectacular, from the L5 colony, Katherine speaking."  
  
Trowa smiled. "Katherine, it's Trowa."  
  
There was a long silence. "Trowa? Is that really you?!"  
  
"Hi Katherine. I'm on Earth right now, so I have to make this short. I don't know when I will be able to get back up there, but I will make it there eventually."  
  
"It's good to hear your voice again Trowa. I've missed you."  
  
Trowa looked away from the phone, in spite of himself. Almost smiling he said, "You might say you've been with me this whole time."  
  
"That's sweet, Trowa. Where have you been?"  
  
"I'll tell you when I get up there. Tell your father I will be coming. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Hanging up, Trowa opened the booth door for Duo.  
  
"Thanks, Trowa."  
  
Duo stepped inside and pushed his quarters into the machine. He quickly dialed Hilde's number and waited for her to pick up. He was about to hang up when some one answered the phone. "Hello?" It was a man's voice.  
  
"Hello? Who is this?"  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"This is.Roger." Duo lied a name. (Maybe Hilde moved?) "Is Hilde there?"  
  
"What you want with my girlfriend?!" The man on the other end shouted.  
  
"Your girlfriend?!"  
  
Duo heard Hilde's voice in the background. "Kay, who is it?"  
  
"Some fool, Roger, askin' 'bout you."  
  
"Roger?" Duo could almost hear her mind click over the phone. Hilde apparently grabbed the phone because her next words were shouted right in his ear. "Duo where are you, what happened to you?!"  
  
"Two months, babe. Two months and your with another guy." Duo closed his eyes. "I thought we were closer than that. See ya, babe."  
  
"Duo, wait-" Duo hung up the phone and cut her off. He took a deep breath and opened the booth door. Trowa was standing under a tree, looking up into its branches. Duo stopped. The cruel, little voice drifted back into his head. (You're happy. You know you are. You knew that you and Hilde couldn't be together. Think of it this way. Now Venus can be your girlfriend. Hilde's not a problem anymore.) Duo smiled. The voice was right. Venus was waiting.  
  
"Come on, Trowa! We gotta get to a restaurant!"  
  
Wufei's P.O.V.  
  
Wufei didn't have anywhere to go, and didn't have the number of the ship Sally was on, but he wouldn't stand walking around with those onnas. He saw Duo and Trowa walk off towards the other side of the park. Duo shouted, "I know exactly where we're going!" Wufei didn't smile. (That braided baka has no idea where he's going.) Wufei looked around. (May as well get to that restaurant.) He headed off in that direction. He brushed past dozens of parked cars and looked out into the street. Nothing was coming. Rush hour must be past already. He walked across the crosswalk and stopped at the curb on the other side. Someone was walking down the sidewalk. It was a woman and a man. He man had dark brown hair and had pants that were a little to big for him with a silver chain hanging out of the pocket on one side.  
  
Wufei felt his shoulders drop when he saw the woman. She had dark blonde hair in two twists, one on either side of her head. She was hanging eagerly on the man's arm. Two schoolgirls, walking the opposite way pointed the couple out to a boy walking beside them. "Yeah, that's Sally and Max. Aren't they, like, the totally cutest couple. They, like, just got engaged something like three days ago."  
  
"I thought Sally was going steady with some other guy.Asian I think."  
  
"Come on, Billy, get with the gossip. I heard he walked out on her, like, two months ago.That's when Max asked her out. Then, he, like, totally proposed. Sally told me she was, like, never so happy."  
  
Wufei turned away from the kids. (I didn't walk out on her.) He crossed the street and turned towards Fifth Avenue.  
  
The Scouts and Zechs's P.O.V.  
  
After everyone took off the girls were left with Zechs.  
  
"Let's go!!" Venus yelled and took off out of the park.  
  
"Wait!" The others yelled after her and ran through the wake of flying cherry blossoms. Venus ran along the sidewalk, laughing at the few people actually out at this hour, who gave her strange looks. Jupiter finally caught up with Venus and told her to slow down. Well, not really told. More like, yelled.  
  
Once the group was all together again, Mercury warned them they couldn't buy anything, because they were supposed to meet the guys. Even Mars was a little upset. So, They walked around the city, every now and then, Pluto asking Zechs if he was okay. He insisted he was fine. Eventually they found themselves at Le 'Mures. Laytha pointed out through the window, the five guys were already inside. The group filed inside.  
  
Well, how was it? Geez, that is definitely the longest chapter I have ever done! Do you like how I personally made each of the guys totally available? Sorry to all the people who hoped for each to go home and back to their girlfriends.Anyway what should I do with Relena? Should she have retired? Or get a boyfriend? Or get fat? (he he) Let me know! I haven't really decided what to do about her, but she has to go. Anyway, R&R! Let me know how I'm doing! 


	19. Happenings in the real world

Chapter 19: Happenings in the real world  
  
Hey, hey!! I'm totally sorry I haven't updated all week!! I hope you aren't too mad at me... Anyway, I have decided what to do with Relena! You'll have to read the chapter to find out, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it. So, here's my story!  
  
"Hey, guys!!" Venus almost yelled to the five somber characters sitting at the head of the long table.  
  
All of the five boys looked up quickly. Duo grinned and pulled Venus down next to him. "Hey, babe, how's it goin'?"  
  
Venus laughed and pushed him away. "I thought you had a girlfriend..." She whispered.  
  
"Aw, it wasn't working out. So how about we order something?" Duo said back.  
  
At that moment, a waiter stepped up to the table. "And what will you be having today, sirs and madams?"  
  
Everyone put down their menus. Laytha, at the foot of the table, ordered first. "Um, just a cheeseburger. Plain."  
  
The order echoed down the table. "Same."  
  
"Same here."  
  
"That sounds good."  
  
"Same thing."  
  
The order continued, until the waiter went away with twelve orders of cheeseburgers. Plain. After he left, the table sat in silence. "So how has everything been?" Jupiter asked.  
  
"It has been fine. Why do you ask?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Just making conversation."  
  
The table was once again silent. No one spoke. The group listened to the gossip of the people around them while they waited.  
  
"Did you hear about the Walshes..."  
  
"Yeah, they're getting a divorce..."  
  
"Oh the steaks...really delicious..."  
  
"Have you seen Triple X yet..."  
  
"No, have you..."  
  
"Yeah, it's awesome..."  
  
"Hey, honey...there's two forks..."  
  
"Yes, honey, one's the salad fork..."  
  
"Here is your meal, sirs and madams." The waiter interrupted the string of murmurs with a large tray of plates.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Once again, after the waiter left, it was silent. Venus broke the silence this time. "Geez, what happened? Why are you all so...dreary?"  
  
"We're not dreary. Simply, serious." Trowa said between mouthfuls.  
  
"So, where is a good hotel around here? We are going to need a good place to sleep, you know." Venus asked.  
  
Quatre shook his head vigorously and swallowed. "No, you don't have to find a hotel; you can stay at my place."  
  
"Oh, we don't want to intrude..." Mercury said, setting down her burger.  
  
"Not at all-" He insisted.  
  
"His place is definitely big enough." Duo added.  
  
"Oh, all of you are welcome too." Quatre turned to the boys.  
  
"Aw, Quatre, you're sooo sweet." Duo flashed him a grin.  
  
"Thank you." Wufei added his first comment to the conversation.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Zechs stared at his food. He had not touched his dinner. Pluto leaned over and put her hand over his. "I'm sure you are welcome too, right Quatre?"  
  
"Of course." There was an uneasy silence at the table. Heero glared down into his plate. "There won't be any trouble at all." Quatre said forcefully, looking pointedly at Heero.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Jupiter leaned over and looked down the table. "Heero, I told you. It's rude to grunt like that."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Jupiter went back to her burger and rolled her eyes. Mars laughed. "She has a point though." She picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. "That was good. Maybe it's even better than your cooking, Jupiter." She joked.  
  
"Hey, don't even joke about that." Jupiter said half seriously.  
  
"But it was good..." Venus teased as she finished off her own burger.  
  
"Well, if we are going to get to Quatre's house, we should get going." Heero said as he stood up and tossed down three dollars for his own meal. The others repeated his action and left the restaurant. The group left.  
  
Ten minutes later, everyone was in the back of an abandoned bus, watching the city fly away. "Wow, this is such pretty scenery. I wonder if it's like this outside of Crystal Tokyo? We should get out more often." Mercury sighed.  
  
The bus stopped after almost twenty minutes of relaxed silence. "Winner residence." The driver called back.  
  
"Thank you!" Venus yelled back up at him as they got off. "Whoa, you said his place was big, but man..." Venus muttered as she stared up at the mansion. Though it wasn't as huge as the Crystal Palace, it was quite a large house. "Uh oh. I think security is coming to bust us..."  
  
"No, those are my men!" Quatre said happily, waving to the approaching men. Venus nervously inched behind Duo, just in case.  
  
Quatre ran towards them and they embraced him like a long-lost brother.  
  
"Master Quatre!"  
  
"It really is you!"  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
Quatre stood back. "I'll answer everything in time, but first these are my friends I brought with me." He stood back to give the men a view of everyone else. "This is Venus and Duo, that's Mars, and Jupiter, then Wufei, Trowa and Heero, Pluto, Mercury," Quatre unconsciously paused, and the men noticed this but said nothing. "And Zechs." The men quietly took n breaths and stepped back a bit.  
  
"Zechs, Zechs Marquise? The Lightning Count?" One said nervously.  
  
Zechs looked away. "I..."  
  
Quatre spoke up. "He is our guest, and I expect all of you to treat him such."  
  
"Well, if he is a friend of Master Quatre, then he is all right."  
  
Zechs silently thanked the young boy.  
  
Soon everyone was inside and warm in front of a nice fire. Quatre was in the kitchen with his men, 'explaining' where he had been for two months. Jupiter listened with one ear to his tale. Quatre had apparently simply needed a break and gone out into the country. He had decided to spend a night at the girls' bed and breakfast, and liked it so much, he wanted to stay for a while. Jupiter smiled. (For such an honest boy, he sure is a good liar.) After a while Quatre returned and spent the next few hours in silence with the others.  
  
Venus suddenly broke the gloom. "Geez, why is everyone so grim and sad? It's like we just got back from a funeral!"  
  
Heero did not look at her. "We are not gloomy, just-"  
  
"Serious." Venus finished. "Come on! I'm going to bed. Maybe my dreams will be a bit more exciting." She stuck her tongue out at Heero and went up the stairs. After a moment, she came back down. "This is the way to the bedrooms, right?" She asked Quatre.  
  
He smiled. "Yes."  
  
Venus left again and Duo yawned and went up after her. Wufei stood up silently a few minutes later and set off up the stairs. After a moment's consideration, and a poke from Jupiter, Mars followed him.  
  
"Wufei..." She said to his back as he stopped at a door.  
  
He sighed and opened the door. "Why don't you come in." He said wearily. Mars looked at him for a moment, before going inside. The room was decent size, if empty save a bed, mirror and dresser. Mars sat on the bed and Wufei stood next to her.  
  
"Wufei, what is wrong?" Mars suddenly burst out. "All of you are acting as though someone has died, but you haven't said anything. What is it?"  
  
Wufei sighed heavily and looked at her. His onyx eyes were filled with despair beyond hope. Mars stood up and took his shoulders. "Wufei, what is it? There is something wrong. Please tell me."  
  
He reached up and squeezed Mars's hand. (What am I doing? Am I getting too weak to deal with my emotions by myself?) His mind asked tiredly. He paid no attention to his thoughts. "Do you remember when I told you that I had someone waiting for me?" He sat down and looked at her for her answer.  
  
"Yes, Sally, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes." He nodded without taking his eyes from hers. "I saw her today. She got engaged to a man three days ago."  
  
"Oh, Wufei..."  
  
"No. I don't want your pity." (But I wish I had something else...) The thought jerked Wufei out of his trance. The thought must have shown on his face because Mars let her hands slip down to his elbows and she looked away and once again, her hair fell to her face and hid the blush there.  
  
Wufei reached up and brushed it back. (This is what I want.) He felt himself pull closer to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, before it fell into anything else. (This feels so right. Why didn't I see this sooner?) He felt himself smile and suppressed a sigh as she slid her arms around him.  
  
In the living room~~~~  
  
Soon, everyone had gone upstairs, leaving Quatre, Mercury, Heero and Jupiter down in front of the fire. Mercury looked around and noticed that the others had gone and realized why. She touched Quatre on the shoulder and discreetly nodded her head towards the stairs. Quatre blushed for a moment, misinterpreting her meaning, but she glanced pointedly at Heero and Jupiter and back to Quatre. He understood this time and they both quietly went up the stairs, leaving Heero and Jupiter alone.  
  
Jupiter awoke from her doze to find everyone but Heero gone. She went over to his couch and sat beside him. He looked at her, but did not move. "So what are you thinking about, Heero Yuy?" She asked him, her tone light.  
  
"Someone."  
  
She leaned forward. "Oh, is this someone a special someone?"  
  
Heero looked back at Jupiter and let his gaze sink into hers before answering. "Hn."  
  
Jupiter leaned over close to him. "It's not polite to grunt at people..." She whispered slowly.  
  
"Hn." Though he had too much experience to let a smile onto his face, there was a sparkle behind his eyes.  
  
Jupiter smiled and punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Heero, your manners are so terrible..."  
  
They spent the next few hours into the night, until the fire died, sitting next to each other. Heero couldn't help his gaze that wandered continually back to her. (She is so different from-) His thoughts halted. (Why did I think that? Why should I compare her to Relena? I will never have to protect Jupiter from anything...) His eyes wandered back to Jupiter, and he stopped his thoughts from telling himself that that is what he wanted.  
  
The next morning everyone was up bright and early to the smell of breakfast. Jupiter smiled as she entered the kitchen. "To whoever is cooking, I hope it's good, or I'll have to take over." The tall thin man in front of the stove turned.  
  
"Oh, Master Quatre told me specifically not to let you cook. He said you had cooked for him everyday he was gone, and wants you to relax. And I must thank you for keeping him in such good health. He does not cook well himself, but don't tell him I said so."  
  
"I heard that, Raul." Quatre opened the door and smiled slightly. Raul opened his mouth to protest, but Quatre continued. "Don't worry, you are absolutely right. Now, what is for breakfast?"  
  
Eventually, everyone made it down, and considerably more cheerful than the night before. Conversation got going and Duo asked Raul what was happening in the world. "We've been out in the country and haven't really kept up with the news."  
  
"Oh, not much has happened since Master Quatre left. Hmmm...The taxes have gone down a bit since there is more ease between Earth and the colonies...Oh, yes and that young diplomat girl, Relena, she retired." Heero dropped his fork.  
  
"She what?" The room silenced.  
  
"Retired." Raul repeated without turning from the stove. "If I may enter my own opinion..." He cast a sideways glance at Quatre. After a nod, he continued. "Not many noticed but Miss Relena, well, put on a few pounds. If I may venture further, it seemed to really build up a bit after Master Quatre left. It seemed a simple flux at first, she gained even more weight. I don't mean to offend, but..." After another nod from Quatre, "It seems that her added weight resulted in a slight loss of confidence in her, from the people. It became quite well known she was trying all manners of things to try and lose it, but she didn't change much. Miss Relena wasn't much of a public figure anymore, and formally announced her retirement about a week and a half ago. Hmmm....If she had simply gone to the gym and tried to lose it naturally, it may have not soiled her reputation like it did..." Raul ended with a sigh and turned off the stove. "Anyway, that seems to be it in major news. Like I said, not much has changed. Enjoy your breakfast." He left with a smile.  
  
The room was completely silent for the next few minutes. This silence was different from the other times. It was an amazed, almost shocked silence. Venus spoke softly. "I take it you guys know this Relena girl?"  
  
So, so, so! How was that? Yes, this was another long chapter, but don't get used to it! If I can manage to get out chapters during the week, they will be shorter. Like 1700 words short. (This one was 2100). Anyway, what do you think? If you like this picture of Relena, then you'll just love what's to come. And do you like the little love scene with Mars and Wufei? I sure love writing it...They are such a cute couple, doncha think? Well, R&R! Let me know what you think! 


	20. Lil bit of romance

Chapter 20: 'Lil bit of romance  
  
Hello! How am I doing so far? Hope ya like it. There's a lot of romance coming up in this chapter, so read on and find out!  
  
While Relena's changes had come as something of a shock, the boys took it surprisingly well. Wufei seemed to not care at all, but every now and then would smile as though she deserved it. Quatre, being kinder than the others, did not laugh too much about it, but did not pine over it either. Trowa did not care much at all, or didn't seem to. Heero's reaction was somewhat similar to Wufei's, he would not openly admit any emotion about it, but somehow found reason to smile about something, when he thought no one was watching him.  
  
The girls, not knowing her at all, tried to keep out of the whole affair. That day, Quatre took everyone out into the surrounding countryside. The guys were a bit unhappy about running through the woods, but when Quatre nonchalantly let it slip there was a paintball station and they consented to go.  
  
After walking through the beech tree forest, Venus shrieked and pointed out a red splatter on a nearby tree. Quatre laughed and told her that it was paint. Venus looked at him. "What's paint doing out here."  
  
Mercury went over and looked for herself at the paint splatter. She stood and smiled. "Paintball."  
  
Venus looked away. "What's a paintball doing." She stopped for a moment and giggled.  
  
Mars laughed. "So where are they?" She asked Quatre.  
  
"I keep them in the shed further up the trail."  
  
Jupiter gave an evil grin. "Last one there's a dog pile!" She yelled as she ran off.  
  
"First one there's gotta eat it!" Laytha yelled as she ran after her.  
  
Everyone else hesitated a moment before following them. When they caught up, Laytha and Jupiter were already sifting through the shooters for a good one. Everyone got one (though Heero and Duo got into a dispute of one) and ran off, counting down the traditional ten second run-time. After 'One!' rang through the forest, everything was perfectly still. Wufei silently congratulated the girls for their stealth, before he felt something hit his back. He turned and fired instinctively, but missed the sprinting Mars and silently dashed after her.  
  
Not too far away, Duo smirked to himself. He stood behind a tree and took careful aim. Venus's back was to him, but he was aiming slightly lower than her back. There was a small retort as the gun went off, and Venus stumbled forward, hand on the seat of her pants. Duo could have sworn he saw the paintball whiz by his head as he ducked behind the tree. The forest was quiet again. Peering slowly around the tree, he frowned slightly as Venus's blond hair was nowhere in sight. He looked around and listened carefully for her. A thud against the seat of his own pants and a muffled giggle revealed Venus's location. Duo laughed quietly as he spun and fired three shots into the trees.  
  
On the other side of the forest, Quatre and Trowa were at the mercy of Mercury and Laytha. The two girls had led the boys with heavy footsteps and broken branches to the part of the forest with the sturdier, more branchy trees. The girls had climbed one and were firing continually on the boys, then jumping to another tree. Quatre whispered something to Trowa and put his back to him. After the next shot hit him, both boys looked in the direction it had come from. While they stood perfectly still, a breeze picked up and shifted the branches. But one moved out of rhythm with the others. Quatre dashed under it and fired four times up into its branches. This turned out to be a mistake because his aim had been a little too good; three of the four shots went right up Mercury's loose, blue skirt. When the wind picked up again, Quatre saw for himself what his paint had hit. He blanched and took off as Mercury jumped down, face bright red, and ran after him. Trowa didn't fire at Laytha as she nearly fell out of her tree with laughter.  
  
Heero tried not to think like the soldier he was as he stalked Jupiter around the forest. Once, he almost shot at Quatre, who was running frightened away from Mercury. (Is her aim that good?) He shook his head and continued walking. He looked down at the paintball gun in his hands. It was so big and clumsy, and couldn't begin to compare with the small, easy handguns he was used to. A movement through the trees and a thump against his leg pulled him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Come on, Heero! Be at least a little bit of a challenge!" Heero followed the sound of the voice and shot three paintballs to his immediate left. He heard it hit something and ran towards the sound. Jupiter was gone again but her voice rang out again through the trees. "That's better Heero, but not quite good enough!" At least five thuds against his back punctuated the shout. He turned around and fired. Heero couldn't help his smile. (She can't see me anyway. It feels good to have this sort of a challenge.) The smile spread.  
  
Later that night, everyone was laughing around the dinner table about their 'battle'. Laytha had burst out about Quatre's shots at Mercury and the whole table erupted into laughter. Even Heero. Though neither Pluto nor Zechs had gone, they had spent their day in the library; both were pleased to hear of the others' day.  
  
Finally, Venus stood and stretched. "I'm going to go get a bath and wash all this paint off."  
  
Duo stood eagerly. "Maybe I'll join you." Venus laughed but said nothing as she walked up the stairs. Duo grinned mischievously and went up after her. He caught up with her and stood behind her as she opened the bathroom door.  
  
She rolled her eyes and turned to him. "I'm just washing my hair, so you're wasting your time. You didn't hit anything but that and my clothes." Venus paused before adding, "And I'm not taking those off either."  
  
"Well, I have to wash this paint off my shoulder anyway, how did you manage to hit me three times in the same spot? The damn paint soaked through."  
  
Venus smiled and opened the door. "Whatever." She stopped and looked in. "Whoa." The bathroom was twice what the one in the palace was, with a nice sea green rug on the floor and matching towels. "This is nice." She said as she sat down on the edge of the bathtub and turned the water on.  
  
"Yeah. Leave it to Quatre to have a nicer bathroom than a palace." Duo replied as he turned on the sink water. He glanced at Venus carefully pulling the bow out of her hair, pull a small brush out of her pocket and start to work it through her hair. He started to unbutton his shirt and saw Venus stop and look at him.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked after a moment.  
  
Duo looked back at her as he started to pull off the now-speckled black shirt. "Well, I do have to wash my shoulder."  
  
"Oh, yeah." She looked back at the water felt it for warmth.  
  
Duo watched her out of the corner of his eye. She kept glancing at him and hiding her smile. Duo looked down at his bare chest. (Well, maybe I am a bit more built than most other guys.) He smiled as he wet a washcloth and started to rub at the orange paint spot on his right shoulder. Still watching Venus out of the corner of his eye, he watched her blush and reach over for the shampoo as he flexed his arm. Duo turned his attention to the spot as Venus slid to the floor and leaned further over the tub as she worked the sweet-smelling foam through her long, beautiful blond hair. (Damn, she has a nice butt.) Duo thought, as he looked at the green paint spot he had planted there.  
  
He smiled as he rinsed the washcloth out and wiped the remaining paint off his shoulder. Venus turned the water off in the tub and reached for a towel. She turned to Duo and rubbed the blue-green towel over her shoulder. "Hey Duo."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you sure you and your girlfriend are over?"  
  
"Completely, babe. Why?" He turned to Venus and was surprised to find her so close.  
  
"So I wouldn't feel so guilty about this." Venus reached up and put her hand on the back of Duo's head. She pulled him closer to her and when their lips met, a shock blazed through his body and almost pulled him away. But he slid his hands around her back and pulled her to his chest. Her lips were so soft and warm.(I could stay like this forever.) She felt perfect against him and he pressed his lips harder onto hers. She moaned softly and pulled away. "Wow." She whispered.  
  
"No kidding." Duo leaned his face closer to hers and breathed the fresh scent of her shampoo. He felt her soft butterfly kisses sprinkle his neck. He pulled in a deep breath and pushed his lips into hers again. The shock once again coursed through his body and seemed to envelope him. (Incredible.) A sharp knock on the door pulled the two apart.  
  
Mars's voice called from the outside. "Are you going to spend all day in there?"  
  
"Only if I'm lucky." Duo whispered as he felt Venus giggle in his arms and pull lightly on his braid.  
  
"We should really go."  
  
"My place?" Duo teased with a coy look as Venus turned her head to face him.  
  
"Mine's closer."  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
Mars rolled her eyes as the pair finally came out of the bathroom. She had to take a step back as the energy vibes cascaded over her. (I guess they were doing a bit more than washing in there.) Mars rolled her eyes as both of them quickly entered Venus's temporary room and shut the door immediately behind them.  
  
Backing right out of the bathroom, Mars decided to wash up later. (When those vibes air out of there.) Even as she walked down the hall, she felt the atmosphere creep into her system. Wufei walked up the stairs and almost ran into her. He must have felt the energy coming out of the bathroom, because he stopped short and looked over Mars's shoulder, down the hall.  
  
"Venus and Duo just came out." Mars explained quietly. Wufei nodded slowly but did not move. Mars looked at him closely and was suddenly very aware of his eyes. She recalled how they seemed to pull her in last night.  
  
"My room's just right there." Wufei seemed to sigh. He seemed to realize what he had just said and looked away.  
  
Mars couldn't help but smile. "It's the bathroom."  
  
"Oh." Wufei still didn't meet her eyes. He slowly brushed past her and stopped at his door. "If you want to come in." Red brushed his cheek, but he still did not leave the hall. "It's the bathroom?"  
  
"Yeah." Mars moved over next to him. Her hand grazed his side. "Can I come in?"  
  
He looked at her and smiled softly. "Of course."  
  
Five minutes later, the pair found themselves sitting on the floor in front of a flaming fireplace. Mars felt Wufei's hand around her waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder. (Maybe I should get him in the bathroom.) The thought was so ridiculous, Mars blushed. (Still.)  
  
Well, what do you think? Isn't that so romantic? Hope you like it. Oh, and here are a few things. First, if you didn't get it, when Venus kissed Duo, her power got released a little too much and kind-of hung in the air and that's why Wufei was acting so strange. Second, sorry for all the long paragraphs! I try not to clump it up so much, but it just happens sometimes. Third, though I promised myself when I started this fic I wouldn't do this but, there is this totally awesome story called Dragon Quest that you should really read. It's a SM/GW fic too, but they only have 2 reviews!!! Read it so they'll update, 'kay! And for that matter, R&R my story too! 


	21. Couples go public

Chapter 21: Couples go public  
  
Hi!!! Well, after they hot love scenes in the last chapter, I'm putting a bit of darkness in the end of this one. You can probably guess what happens in this chapter from the title. So, check it out!  
  
So, after a quiet night and a few jaw drops after Duo came sneaking out of Venus's room early the next morning (both insisted absolutely nothing happened.) everyone was in a surprisingly good mood. This time Jonathan was finishing up breakfast when everyone came down.  
  
"Good morning everyone! Sorry I can't stay, Raul got up late, and I must get to work."  
  
"You go, we can fend for ourselves." Jupiter laughed.  
  
He smiled at her and left quickly. Heero stretched and sat down. "Just coffee for me."  
  
Jupiter snorted at him. "Absolutely not, Heero. You probably still haven't gained a pound, and I will put some meat on you if it kills you."  
  
Heero smiled and Duo stared at him. "Incredible.you actually got him to smile. This is an event. Where's Quatre? He should see this." He looked around.  
  
"I'm right here, Duo and I saw." Quatre said as he opened the door.  
  
"What's next? Perhaps he might laugh." Wufei mused quietly.  
  
"Seems like everyone is changing." Mars added, sitting next to him.  
  
"No, Trowa still never says anything." Duo teased, looking at the one exposed eye of the silent boy.  
  
"At least I don't babble on like a monkey."  
  
Duo put his hands over his heart. "Ouch, that hurt, buddy, really hurt." He dropped off his stool and fell to the ground with mock pain.  
  
Zechs looked over from his stool a few feet away. He sighed, and with a slight smile reached his hand over to help Duo up. Duo looked at it, and then took it with a grin. "Hey at least someone has a little sympathy."  
  
Venus rolled her eyes and poked him. "Hey, will you drink your coffee? It's getting cold."  
  
The rest of the morning passed with out event, and a very boring afternoon soon got under way. Zechs read some dark, title-less tome, with Pluto studying it over his shoulder, Venus and Laytha looked through a magazine, and everyone else sat, bored.  
  
Venus suddenly threw the magazine on the table and stood up. "Let's go shopping!" She yelled.  
  
The Scouts all enthusiastically agreed, but the boys protested a little. "Is that your solution for everything? Go shopping?" Wufei moaned.  
  
"Do we have to ride in a taxi?" Quatre whined, thinking of his unpleasant experience.  
  
"Do you all have a better idea?" Pluto asked. In the following silence, Pluto assumed the answer was no. "Then let's go."  
  
After a twenty-minute bus-ride, a slight emergency when the driver made a rude comment to Venus, and an anonymous call to the hospital later, the group stood on the sidewalk across from fancy clothes place.  
  
"You shouldn't have knocked that guy out." Mars told Venus as they crossed the street.  
  
Duo squeezed Venus's hand and stood up for her. "Hey did you even hear what that idiot said? I think Venus is totally justified."  
  
Venus leaned closer to him. "Thanks. Besides what will he tell the police? Some blond chick blew an energy beam from her hand at him? They'll send him to the asylum."  
  
"Where he belongs, the asshole." Jupiter added.  
  
"Maybe we could go somewhere else." Zechs said, looking dubiously up at the neon pink letters above the doors.  
  
"You can stay outside if you want." Pluto said absently while fixing her hair.  
  
"I wouldn't be caught dead outside of a store like this." Heero said with complete seriousness.  
  
"Same here." Wufei muttered.  
  
"Then we stop complaining and get in?" Venus complained.  
  
Though it was the afternoon, the store was completely empty, save a small group of sales people, hovering around a magazine.  
  
Venus cleared her throat loudly. They looked up and rushed over.  
  
"Hello! How are you today? How can we help you?"  
  
Everyone stepped back at the sudden enthusiasm. The salespeople seemed to notice this and calmed down. "We're sorry." One said. "You are our first customers today, and we weren't expecting anyone at all."  
  
Venus looked around the store. The clothes seemed to be good quality and there were sales signs all over. "Why isn't anyone here?"  
  
The salespeople's faces fell and they looked away. "Everyone's on the other side of town shopping. Since the festival is on Second Avenue, everyone is one Third Avenue, you know that little so-called street mall they have all along the street, everyone is down there for the festival sales."  
  
"Sales?!" Venus cried.  
  
"Festival?" Mercury asked.  
  
The person in front, a younger girl with bright purple hair looked at them strangely. "Yeah, the Cherry Blossom Festival. What planet have you all been on?"  
  
"We've been in the country for a while." Pluto explained, hushing Venus for a moment. "But still, you all seem to be having the same sale."  
  
A second person, this one with magenta hair and bright red eyes answered. "Yeah, but we totally can't get the word out. All everyone knows about is the huge sales down on Third Avenue."  
  
"Well, we are here to shop, so shop we will!" Venus yelled like a general leading her troops to battle. She marched to the nearest rack and proceeded to sort through it. The others spread over the store, each to their preference, and each pulling a boy along.  
  
"Such indignity. Being dragged through a store by an onna." Wufei growled.  
  
Mars silenced him with a warning look. "We are going to go to that festival. And you will need something to wear. Hmmm, would this look good on me?" She picked a dress from the rack and held it against her.  
  
"Yes." Wufei answered, looking out the window.  
  
"You didn't even look at it! Fine, I'll go try it on. I guess you can wear what you are and that white coat. I saw one of those in the front. We never could get the burn mark out of yours." She added thoughtfully as she walked over to the dressing rooms. "I'll try on this one too." She plucked one off the rack next to her and entered the dressing room.  
  
Not too far away, Mercury was giving Quatre advice on what to wear. "No, that looks like a dress, here, no, that is a really bad color on you."  
  
Quatre reached over and pulled a pair of pants off a shelf nearby. "How about these?"  
  
Mercury covered her smile. "Quatre, those are woman's pants. But actually, that's a good style. Here's some one like that in men's. Now for a shirt." Flipping through the rack, she suddenly stopped and pulled out a dark blue, long sleeved shirt. "This is perfect, Quatre! It matches! Here go try it on. I'll find something for me." Quatre took the shirt and headed to the dressing rooms, slightly dazed. He looked over and had to hold in a laugh when he saw Wufei pull something from a shelf. (Mars even got him.)  
  
A few racks away, Venus was having an emergency. "I don't know which one to pick! This one, or this one?" She flipped back and forth between two dresses. "Which one?"  
  
Duo sighed as he picked up a pair of pants. "Hey, why don't you just try them both on? Maybe one of them won't fit."  
  
Venus turned and glared at him. "Won't fit? What exactly is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Duo backed up, fully aware of the tingle in the air around Venus. "I, I mean that you, um, maybe it, uh, um."  
  
Venus sighed. "I know what you meant. I think I'm just a little stressed."  
  
Duo grinned and tossed down the pants. "Well, if you're stressed, we could always go back to the place and-"  
  
"Slow down, lover boy." Venus laughed as she nudged him. "I'm going to go and try this on."  
  
"Aw."  
  
Laytha and Pluto had an easy time finding outfits for Trowa and Zechs. They seemed to match almost everything. So, with those two holding clothes, the two girls turned and pulled several outfits off the rack. They chattered along and finally went to the dressing rooms with two dresses apiece.  
  
Several minutes later, six girls and Quatre came out of the rooms. Each looked very satisfied and went right to the register. Everyone walked out and started talking about how fun the festival would be. The group wandered around town for the rest of the day and got a late lunch at a pizza place. Trowa, having learned from his last experience with pizza, waited for his to cool down before eating it.  
  
Once the sun had started to go down, and a faint sound of music drifted over the city, the girls pulled the guys back to the same, empty store to change. "Do you mind if we change here?" Venus asked the same, purple haired woman.  
  
"Of course. But hurry up, 'kay? We want to got to that festival too." She answered with a smile.  
  
After ten minutes, six girls and six guys stepped out of the dressing rooms. Laytha, in the first room, had on silver, shimmering dress. It was long sleeved and went to her ankles, but had a slit in the side that went almost up to her waist. She had on matching, knee-high boots and small, silver earrings.  
  
Next in line was Venus, who was sporting a yellow mini-skirt and gold halter-top. A gold chain jingled around her slim waist and her yellow choker had a small shiny star dangling from a short chain. Her yellow, rounded heels seemed to make her a foot taller, despite the fact that they were only, maybe two inches.  
  
Quatre was in the room next to her. He was dressed in a handsome white and gray suit with a loose white jacket to match. His shoes weren't the fancy shoes one would wear to a dinner, but less formal ones made for a bit of walking without losing their reserved look.  
  
Next up was Mars in a hot dress that looked very much like a sleeveless kimono cut like a mini-skirt. Red stars hung from her ears and her delicate hands were covered in wrist high gloves. She would have looked delicate herself, only her red heels set her tone to be more sexy than fragile.  
  
Duo was in the room next to her and had a outfit that looked very similar to his ordinary one, except it was now pressed and washed, and he had re-braided his hair, so it too looked fine and soft.  
  
Heero, who did not spend much time looking for clothes, wore simple jeans, but clean ones, and a dark green t-shirt with a jean jacket over his shoulder. Though he looked like a thug or something, his posture alone gave him dignity.  
  
Jupiter was in the room next to him and had a dress very similar to Mars's, but hers was green and went a little further down, past her knees. She had green high-heel boots whose tops she had folded down and they hung around her ankles hiding all but her toes and heels. She had her usual rose earrings and a matching rose bracelet.  
  
After her, stepped out Wufei, in his casual seriousness. He wore his usual baggy white pants and blue shoes, but had gotten a new long, white coat, which seemed to shine in the light.  
  
Zechs came out of his room wearing a nice, white suit with sky blue designs down the shirtfront. His outfit was very similar to Quatre's, but he seemed to exhibit more of a professional air in it. His jacket hung loosely on him and his shirt was not tucked in, giving him distinction, but keeping him slightly informal.  
  
Pluto came out next and smoothed her dress down for inspection. Hers was a pale purple ankle dress that was cut a little low, but went to her ankles. It had a fine layer of see-through that sparkled and shined, hugging her tall, curved form.  
  
Next to last was Trowa who had a loose, dark blue suit, but had no tie, which gave him more of an 'outlaw in disguise' look. He wore the same kind of shoes as Zechs, only these were dark blue.  
  
At the end of the hall, was Mercury, who came out in a modest light blue skirt that embraced her lithe figure. Her loose white top would have been a turtleneck, but was unbuttoned down enough to be a normal shirt. She wore a simple blue choker with a small blue heart hanging on a chain from it.  
  
She looked down the hall and saw everyone inspecting the others' outfits. She cleared her throat. Everyone looked down at her. "We should be going so these people can get to the festival too."  
  
With murmurs and nods, the group made it out to the abandoned street. Wufei hissed at Mars as she pulled his arm. "What are you wearing?! That is far too short!"  
  
"Come on, Wufei, lighten up a little." Mars smiled at him as she wrapped her arm around his and laced their fingers together. She almost laughed to see him blush at how close they were. "Lighten up, we're here to have fun."  
  
Venus laughed and took off running. "We'll never make it there if we walk the whole way!"  
  
At the festival~~~~  
  
She had put up her hair and stayed away from her usual wardrobe and even walked with her head slightly downwards, so the fear of being recognized wasn't the top on her list. She pulled the orange tee down over her plump form and examined the stands. (It's a good thing I was in the area this year, or I would have had to take the plane.) She suppressed a shiver. She had been recognized last time she took the plane, and ended up changing in the bathroom while she waited for the next one. But tonight, she would not be recognized. She was just another chubby girl come to enjoy the famous Cherry Blossom Festival. But she wasn't as chubby as she was three days ago. No. Those awful tasting drinks had slimmed off ten pounds at least.  
  
(Why am I looking for people I know, they will all be at the Earth- Colony meeting on L7. Everyone I knew was a diplomat, except for Heero.) The girl had to stop and concentrate to keep from bursting into tears again. (Heero, Heero. You promised you would stay with me, but you left and I have not seen you for two months at least!) The girl did not bother to acknowledge the lie to herself. Heero had made no such promise to her face of course, but she knew he meant it!  
  
She stopped to look at some cute cat figurines and smiled. They took her mind off Heero, for the moment. She gave the old man behind the bench five dollars for one of two kittens wrestling with a ball of yarn.  
  
The girl put it in her pocket and turned. Her heart almost stopped. There was Heero, right there! He was, wait. He wasn't alone. (What is that bimbo doing hanging on his arm like that? What? Did he just smile at her?! He never smiled at me.) He straightened herself and waited. (No, he can't be with her. She's some ambassador he's been sent to escort. Yes. Some ambassador.) The girl followed the pair and saw the other four Gundam pilots, each escorting a girl. This seemed to confirm her theory. (Yes, all five of them have been employed to escort these ambassadors. They've probably been warned to be nice to them too.) The girl could have hissed in anger as she moved along with the crowd.  
  
She glanced over to her right and some black-haired slut practically merging with that Asian pilot. (What was his name? Wufei? Yes. I pity him as well.) The girl followed her beloved Heero for five more minutes, and her moment finally came. The brown-haired bimbo finally stopped at a bathroom and left Heero standing outside.  
  
The girl had to compose herself before she talked to him. She didn't want to go up to him screaming like a crazed fan. She smoothed her long skirt and sucked in her gut. She had not forgotten the cool, calm look required for foreign diplomats.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
Heero turned around with that ease of one who didn't expect anything in the way of a surprise. He looked at her with those cold blue eyes, cold and unresponsive. He didn't recognize her. "It's me. Relena." She whispered.  
  
His eyes widened with his reaction. She saw them quickly examine her then retain their cold state. "Miss Relena. I heard you retired." He stepped back half a step as if they were too close. As if they were acquaintances.  
  
Relena smoothed her skirt again. "Yes I know. I have retired and I admit I have put on a few pounds. But you are back! You will protect me again!"  
  
An expression fleeted across Heero's face but it was gone before Relena recognized it. "You retired."  
  
Relena looked at him with exasperation. "Yes, but I still need you to protect me. Someone might try to." Her mind searched for an excuse. ".kidnap me again."  
  
"They won't. I don't need to protect you anymore." He put his hands in his pockets, as though he would refuse to let her soil them.  
  
At that moment, the creature in a green dress came out of the bathroom. Though she saw Relena and Heero were trying to have a private conversation, she came over and interrupted anyway. (Bitch.) Relena bit down before the word escaped and ruined her composure.  
  
The interloper came over and slid her hand around Heero's and Relena could have sworn he relaxed a bit. But she pushed that thought away. "Well, who is this?" Relena tried not to give the words a bite, but they slipped through her teeth. She carefully softened her next words. "Is she your next? You won't protect me because you are already protecting her? Heero, there are other bodyguards out there, she can have someone else-"  
  
"Excuse me, bodyguard?" The person finally spoke. "Heero's not my bodyguard; we're just friends. Oh, and I don't think we've been introduced, I'm Jupiter." She said in such a light, almost amused tone Relena wanted to spit at her.  
  
"I'm Relena." Relena turned to Heero. "Not her bodyguard?"  
  
"That's right, Relena. We are friends." Relena couldn't help but notice Heero's hand move and grip Jupiter's.  
  
"And what are we Heero? What does that do to us?" Relena felt her composure start to slip into desperation, but she no longer cared.  
  
Jupiter turned her head. "Us?" She looked at Heero with a look that clearly asked, 'Is she someone?'  
  
Heero shook his head ever so slightly. "I was your bodyguard, Relena. That is the only 'us' there was. We are missing the festival, Jupiter." With that, Heero left. He left Relena with nothing and close to tears. She knew that the other pilots were watching her and that they had heard everything. She didn't care. Stepping swiftly into the bathrooms, she locked herself in a stall. The cat figurine in her pocket started to crack, but she still did not care.  
  
Crying her silent cry, Relena poured her sorrow onto the front of her shirt. Her mind tried to reason Heero's actions. (It was as though they were going out. Why would he abandon her for that bitch in stilts?) Relena's head snapped up. Now that she thought about it, the girl had seemed built. (Yes that's it. Of course, why hadn't I seen it? She was another pilot, not a Gundam pilot, of course. But she had poisoned him against me. Yes, she had twisted my every word to him to make him think I didn't care for him! Yes, yes! He had gone away for something, she had found him, knew who he was, and turned him against me, hoping to hurt me! Well, it won't work, bitch.)  
  
Relena stood up and wiped her eyes. (I've got your plan, and now it won't work. I'll get Heero back if I have to kill you to do it.) The though surprised Relena, but it seemed to work. She smiled at the thought of a bullet ramming through that little crook's head. Wiping her eyes, Relena opened the stall door. She had a plan now.  
  
So, what did you think? Wow, that was definitely long!! 3400 words!!! And I had to cut this chapter off! That's right, I still have more in my head! So expect another, maybe two chapters this weekend. And if the paragraphs about their festival clothes seem a little like a fashion show announcer, that was my intent. Like the effect? Anyway, did you like my little insight into Relena's mind? If you think she's evil now, just wait to see what I have in store. Well, R&R! Let me know how you like it! 


	22. More fun at the festival

Chapter 22: More fun at the festival  
  
Hey, I told you I would get another chapter out this weekend! Well, I'm really trying to put some humor into some of these other chapters, but they just end up being really, well, morbid. So, I think this one is a bit happier. Anyway, here it is!  
  
Pluto P.O.V.  
  
Pluto pulled Zechs along to the bathrooms. "There's a water fountain there, and you should have some water."  
  
Zechs sighed. "Fountain water is terrible. Here, let's just buy some water." He grabbed a pole and forced Pluto to a stop.  
  
"Fine, as long as you drink something." Pluto jumped to the stand, just as some girl with short, dark hair was about to zero in. (Zechs suffered a ship explosion, time warp, and major blood loss. I can't wait in line behind some girl if he needs water.) Pluto glanced at the girl who was pushing her way towards Pluto. (Great. Now I'm going to have to deal with her.) The dark, chubby man behind the stand handed Pluto two bottles of water. She thanked him and handed him six dollars. "Keep the change." Pluto was very aware of the girl's presence behind her, and the girl did not feel happy.  
  
"Excuse me!" The girl practically yelled in Pluto's face.  
  
Pluto took a step back and looked down at her. "You are excused."  
  
The young woman swelled very much like a bullfrog. "Excused! You totally cut in front of me!"  
  
"You were not in line, now I must go." Pluto brushed past this rude person and handed Zechs the water. "Drink. It won't do to have you pass out."  
  
Zechs smiled. "I don't think I've been affected that much." But still, he twisted open the bottle and took a long swallow of the cold water. Zechs glanced briefly behind Pluto and turned slightly away. "Incoming."  
  
Pluto turned her head enough to see the rude teenage girl pushing her way towards the space between the goldfish pond and stained glass stand, where Pluto and Zechs stood. But someone jumped right in her line of vision and gave Pluto a very friendly hug. She was somewhat relieved to see Venus's blond hair splayed over her back.  
  
Venus stood on tiptoe and whispered into Pluto's ear. "Nice private little corner you got here. Planning a little smoochum with-"  
  
Pluto laughed and pushed her away. "I don't do that. You know I don't."  
  
Duo turned around Pluto and slung an arm over Zechs and whispered something to him. Pluto couldn't hear him, but guessed it was along the lines of what Venus had said, judging from the sudden color on his pale features and the spray of water in the air.  
  
Pluto stopped herself from laughing as she felt someone behind her. Someone not very happy. "Duo Maxwell." The voice hissed.  
  
Pluto and Venus turned to the voice and Zechs and Duo leaned around the two girls to look. "Hello, Hilde." Duo said cheerfully. He walked forward a few steps and swung his arm around Venus. "What's happening?" He asked nonchalantly.  
  
"What's happening?! Who is this slut?" She walked up and pushed Venus off of Duo.  
  
Venus looked down at where the Hilde girl just touched her. "You did not just do that." She brushed her chest off and glared up at the girl.  
  
"Just stay out of this." Hilde commanded. She turned to Duo. "Well. Well, well, well. Who the HELL do you think you are?! You call me up after two months of no word, diss me for moving on, hang up before I can even talk to you, and now you show up with this bitch?"  
  
Venus had had enough. She pushed Pluto away and walked up to Hilde and put her face right in front of Hilde's. "Alright you listen up-"  
  
"Hey, I was-"  
  
"No." Venus interrupted. "You will listen to me. When I met Duo, I though he was the most awesome guy on the planet, but he said he couldn't go out with me. Do you know why? Do you?!" This time, Hilde did not interrupt, merely clenched her jaw. "He told me he couldn't go out with me because he had a girl waiting back home for him. She was waiting for him and was still his girl. But when we got back into town, he told me that it didn't work out with his girl and to be with me is what he wanted. So don't you even try to come back and grab him after you've already moved on yourself."  
  
This time Hilde cut in with a harsh retort. "I have not moved on. Don't even try that on me. That guy is my cousin. He came to stay for the weekend while he and his brother were fighting."  
  
"You are a terrible liar." Pluto said quietly.  
  
"Oh, I don't need to look for her lies, I knew them before they came out of her mouth." Venus said cryptically.  
  
Hilde gave Venus a questioning, yet disgusted look. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Venus brushed back her hair and lifted her head with victory. "Because that man over there is connected to you with a kind of chain you don't have with family members."  
  
Hilde shook with rage as she turned to see the man Venus was talking about. "I don't even know him!" This time her lie was apparent, even to those who couldn't sense them. She looked to Duo with pleading eyes. "Please duo. Come back to me. I still love you."  
  
Pluto sighed and put her hands to her forehead. "If you plan on stopping this long procession of lies, try sometime soon. You are giving me a headache."  
  
"I'm not lying!" Hilde shrieked, and several people turned to look at her.  
  
Duo stepped up to her, and pulled Venus next to him. "Look Hilde. You have obviously moved on, but won't admit it. You see, I have moved on, and I admit it. Now go back to whatever his name was. If he will still have you after professing false love to some other guy." Duo gave a half smile and stepped around Hilde. "Let's go, Venus. There's still lots to do."  
  
Pluto and Zechs stood for a moment looking at the shocked girl. Pluto pulled Zechs along and they brushed past her. Catching up with Duo and Venus they caught the middle of their conversation.  
  
"Yeah, that's part of my power. I can sense the love chains connecting people. The other part is that throwing energy thing you already saw on that jerk bus driver."  
  
"He, he. Well, what kind of chain do you sense between us?"  
  
Venus glanced back and saw Pluto. She whispered something in Duo's ear and both grinned almost evilly.  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
Mars pulled Wufei along the street. "Wow, this is so crowded! It's even worse than back home! Hey, goldfish!"  
  
Wufei stopped. "Goldfish? What about goldfish?"  
  
Mars pointed to a small stand between a funnel cake booth and an abandoned t-shirt stall. There were three girls around a small plastic pool, filled with sparkling goldfish. "Oh, lets get one! They're so cute!"  
  
Wufei was still doubtful. "I don't see why."  
  
But Mars had already pulled him over and was paying one of the girls the three dollars. "Come on, Wufei! You can try!"  
  
He was about to protest, but she tugged him down next to the pond and thrust a paddle into his hands. "Just scoop a fish into the bucket." Mars instructed. She squatted down next to him and put her paddle in the water. A few fish swam around it, but she did not scoop yet. Wufei frowned with impatience and scooped at one. But he got nothing but angry glares from the now-damp girl next to him. Mars took his hand. "No, you can't force it. You have to wait for them to come right there." A small one swam slowly in front of the paddle. "And get them." Mars jerked Wufei's hand and the paddle smacked the fish into the little bucket. "Like that."  
  
Wufei smiled slowly and held up the bucket. The glittering goldfish swam leisurely inside. "Good job." One of the girls took the bucket gingerly and cautiously poured the water into a bag. The fish plopped down in with a small splash.  
  
Wufei took the bag and looked inside. The small fish still spun slowly inside. "Mars? This fish?" He asked slowly.  
  
"What about it?" They started walking again.  
  
"Do you want it?"  
  
Mars stopped and looked at him. "But it's yours."  
  
"Yes, but, you helped me, and you should have it."  
  
Mars smiled at him. "Thank you, Wufei." She took the bag and beamed down into it. "I should get a purse of something to carry it."  
  
"Need a purse, deary?" An old woman asked from a small, aged stall.  
  
"Yes I do. Do you sell them?" Mars responded, making her way over to the stall, around a few people.  
  
"I do indeed. Here you go, it matches your dress." The woman extended a red and black knit purse.  
  
"It's so pretty! Did you knit this yourself?" Mars asked, shifting the fish to her other hand, so she could examine the purse.  
  
"I make everything I sell. Guaranteed to last longer than those machine-made things all the girls want today." The woman said with a hint of distaste.  
  
Mars smiled and put the fish securely inside the purse. "Well, I like this one. How much?"  
  
"Ten dollars, but for you, seven."  
  
Mars smiled and extended the money. "Thank you."  
  
"No, thank you, deary."  
  
Mars smiled again and left the stall. Wufei was waiting for her, leaning on the next stand. "Nice sling."  
  
Mars smiled and took his hand. "It's a purse."  
  
"Looks like sling."  
  
Mars rolled her eyes and patted the purse, making sure the fish was secure. "It's a purse."  
  
Wufei looked at her slyly. "Still looks like a sling."  
  
Mercury P.O.V.  
  
During the festival, Quatre was very skittish around Mercury, most likely recalling his paintball embarrassment. But Mercury pulled him along, determined to forget the whole ordeal. Finally, when Quatre had refused to meet her eyes for the third time, Mercury stopped and said, "Quatre, the paint came off. I washed it off last night, and there is no need for you to still be feeling bad about it."  
  
"But I was right below you."  
  
"Quatre, as long as you aren't obnoxious about it, I'm willing to forget that too."  
  
"Besides, it's nothing you wouldn't have seen eventually." Mercury and Quatre both flushed immediately and spun around. Venus and Duo were there, both grinning madly. "Come on, stop acting like you're so embarrassed. It's not like you two weren't thinking it." Venus continued.  
  
"Venus!" Mercury cried, still scarlet.  
  
"Come on, Quatre, admit it." Duo added. Quatre gave a small smothered protest and looked away again.  
  
"Stop pestering them, you two." Pluto said from behind Venus. Mercury looked up to see Pluto and Zechs, each with an ice cream cone.  
  
"I think Quatre would like some support." Zechs laughed.  
  
"Hey, look! It's Trowa and Laytha!" Venus yelled and waved her hand at them.  
  
Laytha looked up and waved back. The two started to make their way over. After three minutes of fighting the tide of people, Venus, Mercury, Duo, Quatre, Pluto and Zechs rode with the flow down to them.  
  
"Hey, you guy should get down to the square! They're about to set off fireworks!" Laytha exclaimed.  
  
After another several minutes of squeezing through the crowd, they finally got to the square. People were already standing around, looking to the sky. Laytha tugged on Venus's arm. "I just saw Mars and Wufei! I'm going to go get them!" She yelled above the noise of the excited people.  
  
Venus nodded and Laytha took off, pressing through the people and disappeared from sight. Minutes later, returned to their spot, this time accompanied but the two she had gone off for and also followed by Jupiter and Heero.  
  
"Look, it's starting!" Pluto yelled and pointed up to the sky. A blast of orange exploded in the sky.  
  
The crowd was finally silent, save the few 'oooh's and 'aaaah's. Purple, yellow, crimson, pink, sapphire, even sparkling emerald exploded in the sky in oval, ellipses, or simple splashes of twinkling color. Cherries swirled around each other, diamonds blasted high in the sky, petite little azure balls seemed to bounce off each other and burst into blazes of light. But all too soon, the show was over, leaving the audience hushed with wonder, sprinkled with glimmers of ash. Soon, people realized the silence in the air and left, chattering of the beautiful display. The twenty-minute ride home was filled with vivid recounts of color and marvels for twelve young people.  
  
So. How was it? I hope you like the firework display. I couldn't give too many details of it, but I hope the descriptions I have are good enough. Anyway, this chapter was a bit lighter than the others, and I hope you liked it. 


	23. Lets get together

Chapter 23: Lets get together  
  
Hey!! Hope you liked my last chapter. Well, this one is going to be a bit funnier. Well, read and weep! (So to speak, I don't really want anyone to cry over this.)  
  
Trowa P.O.V.  
  
"Thank you very much, Quatre. I really appreciate this." Trowa said quietly, as the plane started up its engine over in the hanger.  
  
"Really, its nothing. You need a ride up to the colonies, and I am happy to help." Quatre smiled at him.  
  
Trowa smiled faintly back, mind suddenly drifting to Laytha. (I must admit, she did take this very well.) He remembered she had not shed a single tear, although, Laytha did ask him several times if he would reconsider staying on the Earth for a few more days until she and the Scouts left. Trowa sighed inwardly, remembering his firm 'no's.  
  
Tossing a final wave over his shoulder at Quatre, Trowa walked toward the now prepared plane. Trowa had insisted everyone who wasn't needed for security check stay behind. It was easier that way.  
  
Half an hour later, Trowa was staring silently out the jet's windows at the Earth. Laytha's colony wasn't too far away. (No, not Laytha, Katherine. Katherine's colony.) Another half hour later, Trowa was on the loading dock watching Quatre's jet fly off. Trowa sighed again. (Why do I feel sad? I am going to see Katherine again.) But the feeling did not diminish.  
  
Catching a taxi, he was soon outside the circus tent he knew so well. There was no line, so there wouldn't be a show. Katherine would be in the back. Making his way to the back, Trowa waved off the guard whose eyes seemed to accuse Trowa, though the guard knew him well.  
  
Katherine was just where Trowa knew she would be, in the back, caring for the animals. Trowa stood behind her for a time, before she turned and nearly jumped back into the lions' cage. Katherine stared for a few minutes before she finally broke into a smile. "It's really you!" She leapt up and embraced him. Suddenly, as if catching herself, she stepped down and looked away. But she could not stop for long.  
  
"Trowa where have you been? When you disappeared, we though you had run away or something! Where did you go?"  
  
Trowa smiled his usual distant smile. "I was...in the country. I needed a break and found this nice little place and stayed for a while. I would have called, but...they didn't like people using the phones. Too much noise."  
  
Katherine took his hand. "Oh, father will be so happy to see you! Wait... is something wrong?"  
  
Trowa looked at her. (She is Laytha. It can't be real. Why do I feel so strange? They look the exact same, but I don't feel the same around Katherine. What happened?)  
  
"Hello? Katherine to Trowa... Come in... Are you okay?" Katherine dropped his hand. "No you aren't. Hmmm. I guess I was right. You met someone, didn't you?" She looked away and smiled. "Don't even bother lying." She looked up into his speechless face and seemed to brighten instantly. "Oh, tell me what she's like! She had better be pretty, because I can't have you marrying someone who looks like a cow." She laughed.  
  
"She...how...she looks just like you." Trowa said as he was slowly led off, as though he were a child and Katherine were his mother taking him to his room for naptime. "Exactly like you."  
  
Katherine stopped. "No one is exactly the same, Trowa. Even people who look identical can be completely different." She sighed. "I can tell the way you look at me that you are already thinking of all the differences."  
  
(Come to think of it, Laytha did have hair a bit longer than Katherine, and her eyes did have something hard in them, not like Katherine. Her eyes are quiet and soft. Why didn't I see this before?) Trowa stopped.  
  
"What are you doing back here?" Katherine whispered.  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Go to her. Tell her you love her."  
  
"I love her..." Trowa said slowly and looked over at Katherine. "How could you know?"  
  
Katherine smiled sarcastically. "I'm a woman. Call it woman's intuition."  
  
An hour later, Trowa found himself getting off an express flight back to Earth. Through the people, he saw the others. Laytha was with them. He held himself from running towards them. But just a few feet from them, he felt himself reach out for Laytha and the universe stopped as their lips met. He held her shoulders as though she would tear away from him, though she did no such thing. If anything, she responded by pulling closer. Shocks pulsed around him and for a moment, for that one moment, everything seemed perfect in the world. Absolutely perfect.  
  
Time resumed finally when they pulled away, needing to breathe. Laytha reached up and brushed the hair out of his face, but it fell back into place and she smiled. "I...I..." Trowa felt his voice shaking with the words.  
  
Laytha leaned forward and kissed him softly. "You don't need to say it."  
  
"I was totally wondering when you two were going to get together." Venus laughed.  
  
Everyone looked over at her and saw a few people getting off the plane staring. After a few glares from Heero, they left. Quickly.  
  
"You could tell?" Laytha asked quietly.  
  
Venus laughed. "Well, duh. I am the Goddess of Love after all." Even Heero smiled at that. "Don't you even smile, Heero. Don't think I can't tell."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Heero frowned, but his unstable lie was even caught by Quatre.  
  
"So, even the Perfect Soldier can fall in love." He smiled and glanced at Jupiter.  
  
Jupiter smiled back and looked at the slightly uncomfortable boy next to her. "Well, you gonna kiss me or what?"  
  
Heero looked at the floor and issued a small sound. "Hn."  
  
Without another word, Jupiter and dropped a firm kiss over Heero's lips. The boy was too shocked to even blink. "It's rude to stare." Jupiter said when they separated with a slight suction sound.  
  
"If we are done now?" Wufei said loudly, with slight irritation.  
  
"Sometime today?" Zechs seconded.  
  
"Just had to spoil it..." Mercury murmured as they loaded onto the, once again, very empty bus.  
  
Quatre looked at her, surprised. "You like that romantic stuff? I would have thought you were more realistic." He smiled.  
  
"For your information, I have read a few romance novels. Love is a powerful thing, and a lovely one at that." Mercury smiled back and looked out the window.  
  
After everyone got home, the air brimmed with anticipation. After all, neither Mars and Wufei, nor Mercury and Quatre, nor even Pluto and Zechs had kissed yet. While both Mars and Wufei insisted stubbornly that they were not that close, Venus dropped not so subtle hints that she felt a chain between them. But Mercury and Quatre simply looked away and mumbled. There was a chain there too. Pluto and Zechs refused to comment on the matter.  
  
The next few days happened without event, except for the attempts of some, mainly Venus and Duo to keep Mars and Wufei alone together. No one yet knew that they already spent several hours together almost every night, simply sitting and staring into a fire.  
  
Mercury and Quatre, on the other hand, were doing the exact opposite. Both seemed to be afraid to be caught together. They would occasionally read together in the library, but whenever left alone, one would realize everyone was gone and run off. This, however, was only a front, as Jupiter and Heero found out one day.  
  
Once again, Mercury and Quatre had been left alone in the library. But strangely, they did not part this time and when Jupiter pulled Heero back with her to see why they didn't come out; they were a bit more than surprised to see the pair locked together behind the fiction bookcase.  
  
Jupiter sputtered a laugh, and Mercury jumped away. "Um, you are, um... Hi Jupiter."  
  
Jupiter laughed. "This is so cute! I guess even the Ice Goddess can't resist the call of love..."  
  
"I guess not..." Mercury blushed and looked at Quatre. He smiled gently and squeezed her hand.  
  
"Let's leave them alone." Heero said, pulling Jupiter towards the door.  
  
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do..." Jupiter said as the door closed.  
  
"Is there anything you wouldn't do?" Heero asked once they were outside.  
  
"Probably not." Jupiter smiled slyly as she pulled closer to him.  
  
Heero, Jupiter, Mercury and Quatre were missing for the rest of the day. But their absence didn't fool Venus.  
  
"One down, two to go." She whispered to Duo that evening.  
  
"Two to go?" Duo whispered back through a mouthful of the pear he was eating at the time.  
  
"Yep. There's Mars and Wufei..."  
  
Duo swallowed. "Yeah, I know about them, but who are the other two?"  
  
Venus smiled and looked over at him. "Pluto and Zechs."  
  
"There's a chain between them too?"  
  
"Definitely. Now-" Venus was interrupted by swift tap on the shoulder. She looked up. Pluto stood above her. Zechs was beside her, with the same smug smile and Pluto.  
  
"You don't need to worry about us, Venus."  
  
Venus smiled widely. "You kissed didn't you?"  
  
Pluto crossed her arms, but retained her smug smirk. "I really don't think that's any of your business."  
  
"Whatever you say..." Duo said as her turned back around and took another bite of his pear.  
  
"And by the way..." Pluto continued.  
  
Venus whipped around. "Is it about Mars?"  
  
Pluto smiled knowingly. "Try following her tonight. You'll see." With that, she walked off, Zechs's arm around her shoulders and her around his waist.  
  
"What happens tonight?" Venus wondered aloud.  
  
"We'll have to see." Duo said in between bites of the pear.  
  
Later that night, Venus followed Pluto's advice and kept her door open, waiting for Mars. Sure enough, Mars and Wufei came up the stairs together, as always, but this time, looked up and down the hall before both entered Wufei's room. Together.  
  
"Whoa, I would have never guessed it..." Duo murmured.  
  
"Come on; let's see how they're doing..." Venus whispered as she crept out into the empty hallway.  
  
"But, that's spying!" Duo hissed as loud as he dared. "Isn't this supposed to be their private time?"  
  
Venus looked back at him. "Please, you know very well they probably aren't even doing anything..." As they peeked under the door, Venus grinned at Duo. "Told you so..." She whispered, her voice barely audible. "Listen..."  
  
Two voices drifted to their ears. "Just never mind Venus. She's gets like that sometimes."  
  
"She makes me feel...uncomfortable, talking about how there is a chain between us, and how we should..." Wufei looked away, but did not take his hand from Mars's waist.  
  
"Just ignore her. She's trying to give you ideas."  
  
"Maybe she already has..." Wufei's blush was visible even in the low firelight.  
  
Mars leaned closer to him. "You are so handsome when you blush like that." She sighed and put her hand on his as it pulled further around her waist. A faint scent drifted through the room. Mars smiled. "I think we're not alone."  
  
Wufei stiffened. "We're not?"  
  
Mars lowered her voice and leaned up to his ear. "It's just Venus, she's pushing her power into the room, just play it cool."  
  
Wufei nodded slightly. "Is that what that is?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Wufei stared at nothing. He could feel what Mars called 'Venus's power' around him, but suddenly, Mars felt so close and even warmer than the fire.  
  
Mars grabbed his ankle. "You're letting it get to you..." She looked up at him and smirked. "I guess I'm not anyone to talk; I think it's getting to me too." A small line of fire suddenly rimmed the door and short shriek emitted from the other side. "That should take care of prying eyes, for the moment."  
  
So, how was that? Did you like the love? I know it's a little short, but I think a mini-writer's block is starting to creep up on me. It took me TWO DAYS to write this! It normally only takes me a few hours to get one into the computer! I think I'm losing my touch... Anyway, it may be a few days before I get another one out, but I'll try again tomorrow. Review me and tell me how you like my stuff! 


	24. Time to go

Chapter 24: Time to go  
  
Hey! I am ramming through the damn writer's block and getting on with the event I have been waiting to write for a while. I wanted to have a bit more time in the past, but I can't think of anything else to do there, so the Scouts are finally going back to the future. How will they say goodbye? You'll have to see...  
  
Well, days turned into more days, and it was two weeks before everyone finally decided to go home. Pluto sat down at dinner one day and broke the news that had been on everyone's mind for a while.  
  
"Scouts, it is time to go back."  
  
The room was silent. Though everyone knew it had to come sometime, it seemed far too soon.  
  
"So, uh, I guess we'd better...get ready..." Venus's voice cracked on the last words, as she quickly rushed up the stairs. Duo hesitated a moment and went up after her.  
  
"The queen did say we were to stay at least a week..." Mars murmured.  
  
"You have to go back?" Zechs asked Pluto quietly.  
  
"Yes. Our kingdom is back there and we are sworn to it." Pluto said into her empty plate.  
  
Heero abruptly dropped his napkin and left. Jupiter ran after him. "Heero..."  
  
The remaining people sat in the stillness. "We couldn't possibly stay. Serenity is our queen, Crystal Tokyo is our kingdom and we must be there. We don't belong here. We can't belong here." Mercury whispered.  
  
"But you do!" Quatre suddenly said passionately. "You do belong here, with us! We have only known you for maybe two weeks, but it feels like forever! Losing one of you would be like losing a piece of ourselves, now. Especially now, after everything..." he trailed off.  
  
"We can't possibly stay, even if we wanted to!" Laytha almost yelled as she jumped up and ran off, closely trailed by Trowa.  
  
"We should go make sure we have everything..." Mars said softly. She left quietly, almost dragging her feet.  
  
Venus's P.O.V.  
  
Venus rushed into her room, and stumbled as something caught her wrist. She spun to see Duo there, looking as despaired as she felt. "We can't stay Duo. We just can't. I hate it to be this way, but it just is."  
  
Duo pulled her into a tight embrace. "But I can't lose you. Not now, not ever."  
  
Venus tried to push him away. (Why did I have to go and get attached? I knew this would happen! Why am I fooling myself...) She let herself collapse in his arms. (I didn't know this would happen. I didn't think about the future and now I have to pay for it...) She pulled her arms around him and played his braid between her fingers. (Why does it have to be like this... Maybe they could-no. Don't even think it. This is as much their world as Crystal Tokyo is ours. They couldn't leave it.)  
  
Duo felt Venus stiffen for a moment under his arms. (What is it? Did she think of something? Why is everything so complicated?! Why did I have to fall for someone from the future? Why couldn't she just stay here? I could make a home for her; I would make it just like her old one if she wanted it... And I would be with her...) Duo's head snapped up. "That's it!" He grinned widely and lifted Venus off the floor.  
  
Venus dropped Duo's braid. "What is? What is it?"  
  
Duo set Venus down on the floor and put his hands on either side of her head. Putting his forehead on hers, he dropped his voice. "I can go back with you. Oh, Venus I'd follow you to the ends of the universe if I could, but I don't have the power to move through time, but please, let me come with you! This world would be nothing unless you were here!" Duo fell to his knees and put his arms around Venus's waist. "Please...let me follow you..."  
  
Venus let out a broken cry. "Of course, Duo! Yes, you can follow us! I was so worried; this time is your home and leaving it..."  
  
"My home will be where ever you are." He stood up and they shared their second, most incredible kiss.  
  
Heero's P.O.V.  
  
Heero stood in the smaller library, breathing heavily. He heard Jupiter follow him in, but did not pay attention.  
  
"Heero..." Jupiter put her hand on his shoulder. "We don't have a choice. We have to go back."  
  
"I know you have to go! I know! But losing you, it feels so strange..." Heero looked away. For the first time, he let out his thoughts without thinking. "I love you, Jupiter. The words seem small, but everything felt right when I was around you. Even when we were fighting, I couldn't imagine anyone I would rather be going at it with." He felt his shoulders drop. "You don't understand how it feels to be around someone, a female someone, who I don't feel the need to protect. That's how I have always felt, that is what I learned, to protect. And to fight, and kill and everything..." Heero suppressed a sigh. "But when I am around you, I don't need to protect you, I don't have to."  
  
Jupiter turned him around and put her hands on his shoulders. "Heero, I am no stranger to death. I have killed too, you know. These powers, they weren't just given to me for fun. I have had to kill to protect too."  
  
"And now, the only person I have ever actually wanted to be with, you are leaving. And I can't go with you." He looked away, as if to hide his thoughts from her. (I feel so empty... And I can't go with her. I couldn't. They have no place for me.)  
  
Jupiter tilted her head and looked in his ice-covered blue eyes. "Do you...want to stay here?"  
  
He shifted his gaze to the thundering green orbs in front of his eyes. "There is nothing to stay for."  
  
"Do you want...to come with us?"  
  
Icy spheres seemed to melt in the gaze of Jupiter's misty green ones. Heero issued a small noise. "Hn."  
  
Jupiter smiled and pulled him to her. "It's rude to grunt..." She whispered.  
  
Trowa's P.O.V.  
  
"You can't come with us." Laytha said brokenly.  
  
"Why not?" Trowa persisted.  
  
"Because this is your home! This is your time! This is where you belong!"  
  
"I belong where you are! I couldn't have anything else! If you left everything would be for nothing!" Trowa collapsed, breathing heavily. "This is what and who I am. You are a part of me. I finally realized my own feelings, and I can't be dropped like this."  
  
"Dropped?" Laytha stopped and turned to him, dropping to her own knees. "I'm not dropping you. Don't you want to be with your family?"  
  
"I have nothing to keep me here."  
  
Laytha leaned forward and took his hands. "Do you promise?"  
  
Trowa looked up at her and she could see his answer.  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
"Why are you being so stubborn?!" Mars cried.  
  
"I'm not stubborn, I am realistic!" Wufei yelled back at her. "Doesn't...anything matter to you?!"  
  
Mars circled to face him. "Everything matters to me. All of it. Every minute we spent, every second I felt you near me... It matters. Being a Gundam pilot, I would have thought you would understand trying to stay detached-"  
  
"But I can't be detached! Not to you, of all people!" Wufei grasped for the hem of his jacket, something to hold onto, to keep him from shaking her. "Of course I know detachment, I know it too well. But I can't breath without you, as dense as that sounds."  
  
"Stop it." Mars asked brokenly. "Please, I can't stay..."  
  
"Then let me come with you."  
  
Mars stopped. "Why would... Don't you have someone waiting for you?"  
  
"I have nothing tying me here." He stepped forward and put his arms around her.  
  
She turned in his arms. Two hearts beat frantically against each other. "Stubborn boy..." She whispered as the universe seemed to stop and watch the two as their hearts finally connected.  
  
In the kitchen~~~~~  
  
Nothing moved for at least ten minutes after Quatre's outburst. A squeak broke the silence and everyone looked up to see Jupiter and Heero sit down, both looking more than simply cheerful.  
  
Mercury glared at Jupiter for having high spirits at such a time, but Jupiter burst out the big secret. "He's coming with us!"  
  
Heero looked at her and flashed his faint smile. Pluto sighed, but couldn't help smiling herself. "So I guess we'll have an extra person to accompany us on the way back."  
  
"Just one?" Zechs looked at her, smiling himself. "You didn't think you could leave me behind, did you?"  
  
Pluto closed her eyes slowly and put her hand over his. "Two then."  
  
"Better make that three..." Quatre said from the other side of the table.  
  
Mercury whirled around to him. "But your house, everything..."  
  
"The men have handled it for two months. They can handle it just fine. I won't let you go, Miss Mercury." Quatre sat up straight. "Absolutely not."  
  
"Then that makes three-"  
  
"Four!" Venus yelled, bursting through the side door. Duo dashed in after her.  
  
"You're not leaving me behind!"  
  
Pluto laughed. "Alright then-"  
  
"Five people!" Laytha yelled almost as loudly as Venus and pulled Trowa into the room as well.  
  
Pluto waited. "Well, I had better wait for Mars and Wufei before I say it again..."  
  
"Good choice." A quiet voice came from behind the side door. Wufei opened the door and he and Mars stepped in, arms locked together. "Make that six extra people accompanying us to the future."  
  
That night, the household slept as the never had, for that night, six would finally return home, and another six would get the ability to live, literally, in a whole new world.  
  
Somewhere in the other realm~~~~~  
  
"Sir, here is the scan you asked for..." A small, hunched shadow of a creature held a small orb towards a taller shadow.  
  
"Give me that. You were supposed to have it hours ago!" The taller figure's eyes glowed a hard white and the small creature vanished with a small shriek. "Infidels... Now, to the matter at hand..." The figure opened its hand and the small sphere glowed and grew into a planet. "Yes, Earth... Now where are you my little newborn... Yes there you are, burning brighter than ever. Yes, feel the anger... Yes, now is the time to send you a friend... Paslin!"  
  
A smaller, but proud figure emerged from the darker shadows, a shadow in itself. "Yes, Lord. I am here to serve."  
  
"You recall the Earthling I told you of?" He did not wait for an answer. "I want to you pay a visit to our poor, tortured friend. Offer her what you want. You know what she wants and what I can deliver. Go!"  
  
The creature called Paslin knelt and withdrew to the darker shadows and disappeared.  
  
Relena's P.O.V.  
  
Relena was in her apartment, or rather, her kitchen. The refrigerator was emptier than usual as Relena finished off another pint of strawberry ice cream. Her stomach quivered. "Yes, that is what I will do. I'll go to Heero tomorrow and talk to him. Yes, and if that bitch gets in my way, I'll have my handgun to take care of her. Heero lives around death; he shouldn't mind too much." A small voice played in the back of her head.  
  
(Aren't you supposed to be a pacifist?)  
  
Relena laughed at the thought. "I'm not at war... I need to get Heero back. That's all there is to it."  
  
Something moved in the corner of her eye. "Who's there?!" She called.  
  
"You hate it, don't you?" A sly voice hissed. "You hated it how Heero looked at her, didn't you?"  
  
"How do you know-" Relena looked around for the now-vanished shadow.  
  
"We have felt your pain, Relena. We sympathize. That Jupiter girl does not need Heero. You need him. He should be with you. Jupiter should pay." The voice hissed and a form veiled in darkness grew in front of Relena. She stumbled out of her chair.  
  
"What, what are you?!" She stuttered.  
  
"I am called Paslin, and I serve Lord Diamond. He feels your pain as well. He wants to help you. But he knows your plan will fail."  
  
Relena drew herself up. "How does he know it will fail?! My aim isn't that bad!"  
  
"It is not that, Relena. This girl, this Jupiter, she will not be killed be a mere bullet. Observe." Paslin pulled a small, purple orb from his dark figure and its weak glow barely revealed the dark, wrinkled skin of his hand. "Look into it."  
  
Relena leaned towards the creature as far as she dared and gazed into the sphere. Images of Jupiter flashed through it. In one, she was dressed scantily in a tiny, green mini-skirt with a skin tight with top, green boots and gloves. She spun around and a sparking, green disk appeared in her hand. She hurled it at two men with white hair and they were pitched backwards onto the pavement. Another scene passed through the orb. This time, Jupiter was still wearing her scant outfit, but this time was standing in the middle of a lightning bolt. She suddenly thrust her hands out and the lightning followed her movement and cast itself over a young woman with wavy dark blond hair. The woman went down instantly.  
  
"What is she doing? That poor woman!" Relena gasped.  
  
"This is what Jupiter has done in the past. This is what she can still do. That is why your plan cannot work. She would cast a lightning bolt down on you before you could squeeze the trigger." Paslin re-pocketed the orb.  
  
"Tell me how to destroy her. Tell me how to get rid of her and save Heero!" Relena exclaimed, pulling her shirt down unconsciously over her wide stomach.  
  
"We can give you the power..." Paslin hissed.  
  
"Wait... What is the price? And why me?" Relena stepped back. She was a former diplomat after all. Everything had a catch.  
  
"The price? Simply that you destroy Jupiter and help us destroy her friends, some of whom have committed crime far worse than this. And as for why you? Because we sympathize. We have all had our hearts broken at one time or another. We don't want that for everyone. And just think, one Jupiter is out of the way, Heero will love you again..." Paslin's voice drifted off with suggestion.  
  
"Love me..." Relena looked away with shame. "Why would he want me now? Look at me..." She waved her hands at the mass around her figure.  
  
"Yes, Lord Diamond thought you would be worried about that. He is prepared to offer you a great gift in exchange for your promise to help us." He leaned over, as if to tell a secret. His voice lowered. "Lord Diamond will give you the body of a goddess, simply in exchange for your help."  
  
Relena blushed, thinking of herself with all the curves she never had, even when she was thin. "Deal. I get the power to destroy Jupiter and her friends, and... a new body, if I come with you and help you fight." Relena's mind drifted, thinking of all the possibilities.  
  
She did not see the malicious grin that spread across Paslins's face. "Take my hand, Miss Relena. I will take you to my planet."  
  
Relena drew himself up and took Paslin's dark hand. The next thing she knew, she was in a shadowed room looking at a man with white hair on a throne.  
  
So, what do you think??? I hope you like the romance I added. So how will the guys fare in the future? And how will Relena come into play? Does she know they are going to the future? Tune in next time for 'One summer day...' 


	25. The return

Chapter 25: The return  
  
Hey!!!!! I'm back again this week! I didn't have any homework, so I decided to get another chapter out to all my adoring fans!! So, here it is!!  
  
The next day, when everyone awoke, it seemed the house was brimming with excitement. Quatre was the first one up, hoping to catch his men on their way out, to tell them he was going to leave again. They didn't take it too well, and carried on for a while about how he should stay, or at least let them come with him, but Pluto had warned Quatre that with a person for every Scout, it would be very difficult to support anyone else. Though the men were very upset, they eventually gave up and instead of grumbling, wished Quatre luck. "The best of luck, Master Quatre. With your journey...and with Miss Mercury."  
  
Quatre flushed at the remark, but said nothing. He waved to them as they left and returned to the house.  
  
"Hey, Quatre, you look a little red. Did they say something to upset you?" Venus teased.  
  
"Nothing. Just a little chilly outside." Quatre replied, not quite meeting Venus's eyes.  
  
They were out the door as quickly as possible, as soon as everything was ready, i.e. new clothes, new books, new everything else, and one fish. Since the guys didn't have much, they had but one bag each, and the girls didn't have anything but what they bought there, so they had one bag each as well.  
  
Pluto decided on a small clearing in the woods behind Quatre's house for the best place to portal back. After a short inspection of the woods, the Scouts gathered in a circle around the guys. Pluto looked back at Zechs. "I'll need that key back. My power is connected to it, and since we are part of our time, we can portal right there, without having to go in- between." Zechs fished the small pink key from his pocket and dropped it into Pluto's hand.  
  
She held it up to the trees above and yelled, "Holder of Time, Ruler of the Outer Pluto! I open the doors between the dimensions! I open the Doors of Time!" Her voice echoed through the trees.  
  
And they were gone, with no cloud, flash or flare.  
  
The group materialized in the same field behind the palace the came from before. Everyone seemed to sigh with relief.  
  
"Whew, no wind this time." Duo sighed.  
  
"Get down!" Mars suddenly yelled, knocking Wufei, Quatre, Duo and Venus to the ground. The others followed instantly. A black-purple energy ball knocked hunks of earth into the sky. Dodging the chunks, the group narrowly missed another attack as they made it to the side of the palace.  
  
"What's happening?" Laytha asked quietly.  
  
"We're being attacked. Let's go." Jupiter said gravely as she made her way around the corner.  
  
The small crowd slowly made it to the doors. Zechs reached for the doors, but Mercury waved his hand off. "We're not going in that way. Come on."  
  
Carefully looking for more energy blasts, everyone followed Pluto, who seemed to know where they were going.  
  
Duo leaned up to Venus. "Where are we going?"  
  
"It's this tunnel under the palace. It can only be opened by Scout power, but we have never used it. Pluto is the only one who exactly remembers where it is." Venus whispered back.  
  
They eventually made it to the South Tower, and an abandoned side of the palace faced them. The Scouts were unsurprised by this sight, but the boys seemed a bit taken aback by the picture of a place of gloom in the city they never saw unhappiness in.  
  
Pluto led them to a thorn patch growing against the tower wall. "Geez, why is it whenever you need to get somewhere, there's a thorn bush in your way?" Venus moaned.  
  
"Tough it out Scouts, we have to get through. Scouts and guys, I mean." Jupiter corrected herself. She grabbed a handful of thorns and, ignoring the pricks of pain, pushed through. The others followed, with a bit of complaining.  
  
Once they were against the tower wall, Pluto slid down, trying not to get her hair tangled in the thorns, and put her hand against the wall. "It's here, somewhere." She muttered. "Yes." She said, as a small panel opened, not bigger than the size of a pillow.  
  
"We have to fit through there!" Venus exclaimed.  
  
"Well, it is a 'secret' passage. If it were any bigger, the enemy would have found it." Pluto said as she moved down to her knees and slid her legs through.  
  
"Speaking of the enemy, why haven't we gotten any more blasts? That one we got was definitely from an enemy." Mars commented.  
  
"We shouldn't be standing around, waiting until they find us again." Wufei said as he slipped easily through the small hole in the wall.  
  
Trowa said nothing as he followed and the same for Heero and Quatre. Duo hesitated before kneeling down.  
  
"What's the matter? Scared of the dark?" Venus teased. She smiled slyly and moved around him, picking the thorns away from her skirt. "Don't worry; I'll go first to make sure it's safe." She giggled at the mock- indignant look on his face.  
  
"Will you hurry up?" Mars asked irritably.  
  
"I'm down already, geez." Venus said from inside. The others followed without more disputes.  
  
Inside the passage was dark, save a faint light that emitted from a small flame in Mars's hand. After a small grunt from Venus, she held up a small ball that glowed a brighter, golden light.  
  
"This way." Pluto said softly, yet her voice echoed loudly off the close walls. The others followed in single file, silently, though there was one incident where Venus freaked out when a cobweb got caught in her hair.  
  
After almost ten minutes of walking and increasingly more insistent complaints from, at first only Venus, but soon, the others were wondering loudly when they would get to the inside of the palace. "Almost there." Pluto assured quietly.  
  
Sure enough, Pluto stopped soon under a faint square in the ceiling. "This leads up to my office. It should be empty."  
  
"Well, if we're under attack, don't count too much on it being empty. With power like that, energy ball, as you call it, I would guess there would be plenty of people injured." Heero thought aloud.  
  
Mercury turned to him. "Oh, no. We would port the people out of the city when there was an attack. We've never had to use it, but when Serenity needs to, she can use her power."  
  
"Is your queen a, what do you call it, a Scout?" Wufei asked as he looked up at the tile on the ceiling.  
  
"She used to be. But when we fought our last battle, she pulled enough power to destroy the universe, so yes, she is technically is still a Scout, but she has surpassed us in power, so that is why she is our queen." Pluto informed. She reached up and pushed at the tile. It came up easily.  
  
"Wait a moment." Zechs moved in front of Pluto. "You say that Neo- Queen Serenity, that woman I met just a week ago, has the power to destroy the universe?!" He exclaimed, raising his voice just enough to make the echo knock a bit of dust off the border of the opening behind the tile.  
  
"If you want to be technical about it, each Scout, even Rini, each has the power to annihilate a small planet." Mercury said, dusting the dirt off her glasses.  
  
"Small.planet?" Duo stepped back. Even Wufei leaned slightly away from Pluto.  
  
Jupiter rolled her eyes and laughed quietly. "Only if we use the maximum of our powers, and that hardly ever happens. Now if I may direct our attention to the fact that we are under a little attack on the outside of our palace, can we get up there?" She put her hands on her hips and looked up into the dark hole. "I'll go up first." She volunteered.  
  
Heero stepped forward. "There may be enemies up there. You shouldn't- "  
  
Jupiter cast him a sidelong look. "I think I can handle myself." She smiled at him as she pulled herself up through the hole.  
  
"You are in my cabinet, in the back side of the office. There should be handles on the doors." Pluto called up, careful to keep her voice down. There was a small creak, and then footsteps clicking on the floor above them, and a light clicked on, sending light flooding down the hole. Venus and Mars set down their own lights and they disappeared.  
  
One-by-one the group made their way through the ceiling and into Pluto's nurse's office. Suddenly struck with the seriousness of the situation, everyone quieted as Jupiter carefully peeked out the door. She swung it open. "Clear."  
  
Slowly, they made their way down the hall, checking each door, and around each corner. "Where are the others? Shouldn't they be here?" Duo speculated.  
  
"They are, we just have to find them." Laytha responded solemnly.  
  
Trowa looked at her and opened his mouth for a response, but was cut off abruptly as a blue energy ball came hurling down the hall. Thankfully for a quick reflex, it missed Heero and Zechs, who were furthest away from the wall. Each of the guys pulled out a gun (Heero and Wufei lent Quatre and Zechs one, whom were unarmed.) and the Scouts pulled up their power, ready for another attack.  
  
At that moment, someone threw themselves around the corner and was nearly both shot and blown up before she Mercury recognized her as Neptune.  
  
"Neptune! What's going on? We were attacked outside, and why are you in your uniform? When did an enemy show up?" Mercury assailed Neptune with questions.  
  
Neptune, visibly calmed down, took a deep breath. "Transform and come with me. The others are- Hey! What are you guys doing here?!" She exclaimed.  
  
"We'll explain later. Where are the others and the queen?" Jupiter asked, pushing to the head of the group.  
  
Neptune led them down the hall and into a small side room. Queen Serenity was sitting near a window, in her usual flowing white, but Uranus, Saturn, and Rini, were all standing around nervously, and all were in their uniforms.  
  
"What's going on?" Jupiter asked swiftly.  
  
"We are under attack. Not a full out one, but an attack none the less." Serenity sighed. "They knew."  
  
"Knew what?" Mercury pried gently.  
  
Serenity closed her eyes. "They knew you left. They knew you left the dimension."  
  
"Who is 'they'? Who is attacking us?" Jupiter pursued.  
  
Uranus spoke up. "They call themselves the Black Moon. They don't have much power individually, but their sheer numbers are the problem."  
  
"There must be thousands!" Rini piped up.  
  
"Millions!" Saturn added.  
  
"Their ships, well, they don't look like ships. More like..." Neptune trailed off.  
  
"Crystals. Black crystals." Serenity finished.  
  
"Black crystals..." Mars repeated. "My vision!"  
  
"The piece of darkness in Wufei!" Mercury exclaimed.  
  
"They pushed them through to get through themselves. But slipped up and a piece of their darkness got pulled into Wufei." Serenity concluded. "They probably put a lock around their own energy to keep you from having visions, Mars. Speaking of Wufei, how did they take being back home?"  
  
"They didn't go home." Heero stepped out from behind Jupiter. The others moved out of the shadows.  
  
Serenity stood up. "So, you got attached."  
  
"Apparently." Wufei snorted.  
  
"Um, Your Majesty, I kind of hate to criticize, but what are you all doing in here?" Duo cocked his head and looked around.  
  
"We can't exactly land an attack right now. Only the Inners can raise the full shield, and we've been relying on the regular shield until now. If we go out there, we'd be blown apart before we could even begin to gather energy." Uranus looked away, as if in anger.  
  
Jupiter turned to Heero. "You all stay down here. We'll be back in a sec." She winked at him. "Don't go anywhere."  
  
Heero nodded and leaned against the wall.  
  
So, what did you think? It took a little while to get out, but this is just a transitional chapter, so sorry for the total lack of action. I guarantee the next one will have plenty! 'Til next time! 


	26. The start of the Black Moon war

Chapter 26: The start of the Black Moon war  
  
Hey! Here is the next chapter I promised! You can probably tell what happens from the title. And like I said this one will have action in it, and not just romantic action. Anyway, here it is!  
  
Jupiter P.O.V.  
  
The Scouts all knew where the gate crystal was, so getting up to the West Tower was a quick thing. (Once we activate the crystal, those Black Moon guys are toast.) She smirked to herself. She took her position at the side of the large spike crystal thrust through the floor of the tower. Standing with her back to it, she took Mercury's hand on one side and Mars's on the other. Jupiter closed her eyes and concentrated her power on the crystal. She felt the energy around her and felt a slight draft as her clothes transformed into her Scout uniform. Jupiter smiled. (They're toast.) The crystal seemed to hum behind her and the raw energy shot up around her. Through her eyelids, Jupiter could almost see the four Inner colors fly up around the palace. She could almost see the dark crystal ships stop dead at the wall.  
  
Suddenly, the wall seemed to lock and the energy around them stabilized. Jupiter opened her eyes and dropped Mercury's and Mars's hands. Venus laughed from the other side. "Let's go blast some crystals!"  
  
The Scouts quickly made their way downstairs to the others waiting excitedly in the hall. The boys and Zechs were looking through one of the windows at the wall of green outside.  
  
"Why is it green?" Duo asked curiously.  
  
"Because Jupiter's power is guarding this side of the palace." Mercury said, looking out the window herself.  
  
"We going to go today or what?" Saturn asked jokingly.  
  
There was an awkward silence in the hall, before the Scouts burst out laughing. Venus wiped her eyes. "I guess it takes a war to bring out the jokes in the Goddess of Death..."  
  
The boys looked at them as though they were crazy. Heero looked at Jupiter seriously. "How can you laugh when you are being attacked like this?"  
  
Laytha put her hands on her hips and looked at Heero. "Because they're dust! Why else would they wait until most of us were out of the dimension, before attacking?"  
  
"Because they know we'll beat them." Uranus finished. "If we could go today..."  
  
Serenity stepped forward. "She's right; we have not lost a battle yet. We may have list our lives a few times...but never a battle. And she's right about going. You should get going."  
  
Jupiter nodded and turned to the guys. "Just hang out here, until we get back."  
  
Zechs frowned. "Won't you need-"  
  
"Help?" Venus laughed. "We told you. With the number of ships I saw out there, this will be over before the day is." She laughed and started down the hall.  
  
Jupiter winked at Heero. "She's right. Don't worry." She ran after Venus with the others on her heels.  
  
Five minutes later, the Scouts were outside looking up at the black crystal ships hovering outside the wall. There were youmas roaming on the ground as well.  
  
"Let's do this." Uranus hissed.  
  
Saturn's P.O.V.  
  
The Scouts walked up to the wall and stepped through. A split second later, the group had spit up, leaping onto different buildings and firing blasts to the ships above while shooting away at the youmas climbing up to attack them.  
  
Saturn pulled her glaive out of subspace and sliced it easily through and approaching youma. "Silence Glaive Surprise!" She yelled and watched several others drop to the ground before the purple slice cutting through the air. She leapt to another rooftop, gasping as a black cannon attack blasted a dark void into the building she had just leapt from. Saturn thrust her staff upwards and caught a youma in the throat. (Not that many attacking me. I should give them a reason to attack me.) Casting her gaze to the darkened sky, she picked out a particular clump of crystal ships. She punched a small energy ball through a small string of youmas and concentrated on the ships. She pushed off a bit of the energy towards some more youmas and looked down. She was glowing, if softly.  
  
(Almost ready.) Another energy ball cut down a few more attackers and she concentrated harder. (There.) She looked up and saw through the purple mist, the ships, still foolishly clumped together. Saturn lifted her staff and pulled it over her head. The energy increased with the action and seemed overpowering as she swung it around her head and brought it swiftly down in a slash across the ships in her line of vision.  
  
A shard of her purple energy flashed into existence and sliced through a line of youmas and continued unsteadily towards the ships. Saturn smiled as they disappeared in a flash and fire.  
  
Venus P.O.V.  
  
Venus knew since she was an Inner, she would be attacked first and hardest. Youmas swarmed towards her, but were almost entirely wiped out but a swift swing of energy. But they were replaced almost immediately by more. Venus took the split second to get up to a rooftop. Out of the corner of her eye she saw another roof bust apart. Taking another swing of energy, her thoughts suddenly went to Duo. (I wonder if Gundam battles are like this?) She almost laughed at the thought of a swarm of youmas attacking Duo and his Gundam. She really did laugh at the thought of how he would crush them like bugs. (Actually, a Gundam or two would be good at wiping out these pests.) She looked up then, and saw a group of ships, or rather pieces of them fall out of the sky.  
  
(Why did they bother to attack us?) Venus thought as another wave of youmas collapsed into dust. (Geez, this is way too easy, it's like cleaning house...only more fun.) She smiled and aimed a crescent attack up towards a group of ships. Venus thrust a small light spear through a line of youmas and watched the ships try to escape her attack by spreading out. The beam shattered a split second before it hit the middle ship and all of them were taken down in the one blow. (Much more fun.) She laughed as she saw another whole wave dusted by an earthquake pulled by Uranus.  
  
Venus paused for a moment as she thought she saw someone leap from one of the ships. A pause too long and a deep, painful slash appeared across Venus's arm. She growled and pulled energy and thrust it at the nearest youma. A bit too much energy and it wiped out the whole left side of youmas and blew the next rooftop apart. She heard Neptune yell something at her, as she leapt away from the blast.  
  
Jupiter's P.O.V.  
  
Jupiter leapt up to a rooftop and blasted all the youmas she saw on the street below. A few thrust and thunder claps took care of the one on the roof with her. (It's been way too long since we had a battle.) She thought as she saw Venus swarmed yet again. (She needs to control her attacks more. Wait a sec.) Jupiter looked around. Her roof was suddenly clear of youmas. (Why am I not being attacked?) Her question was answered when a girl, maybe her age, dropped down in front of her from one of the ships. Jupiter nonchalantly tossed up a thunder bolt and the ship blew apart.  
  
The girl in front of Jupiter looked vaguely familiar, and smiled as Jupiter looked her over, as if she wanted her to figure out who she was. She had dark blond hair with two braids tied in the back. Her blue eyes seemed to laugh and her smile did as well. She wore a scant, skin-tight black leather jacket was cut even higher than Jupiter's uniform, and sleeve- less, but was a turtle-neck and buttoned down the side. Her very generous figure swayed as she moved towards Jupiter. "What's the matter? Don't remember me?" Her voice played above the battle noise.  
  
The voice snapped Jupiter's memory. "You're that girl! That girl who was talking to Heero that night of the festival!"  
  
Relena laughed. "Ha ha! So you do remember me... You Scouts aren't as stupid as they say..."  
  
Jupiter frowned and started to circle Relena as Relena drew closer. "What did you do? You were fine at the festival, but now you just reek of darkness." Jupiter frowned again.  
  
Relena stopped and threw up her hands. "Hello? As if it wasn't obvious? I get a beautiful body, powers I would have never had, and another chance at Heero, in exchange for helping to kill you and your friends." She sneered. "Especially you."  
  
Jupiter straightened. "Heero will never want you for this."  
  
"He will! I know it!" Relena shrieked and leapt forward. Black energy balls appeared in her hands and Jupiter just barely dodged one and the other hurtled by her head a second later. Relena stopped and pulled power again. "You don't know anything. Once I destroy you, Heero will see me, without you standing in the way. He'll see me and love me like he did before you came along and stole his heart!" Relena shouted and ran at Jupiter.  
  
This time, Jupiter was ready. She pulled thunder to herself and thrust it at Relena, just as she was about to put one of the energy ball through her. Relena smiled and dodged the attack quickly. She nimbly flipped over three thunder claps Jupiter pitched at her, and laughed as Jupiter pulled a fourth.  
  
"I don't have time to play dodge ball with you! See you later, bitch!" Relena cackled with glee and leapt over the side of the building. Jupiter ran to the side, but she was gone.  
  
She looked around and gasped at what she saw. (They're retreating...) It was true. The youmas were leaping into the ships and the ships themselves disappeared into in-between. "Don't like this..." Jupiter whispered to herself.  
  
Back at the palace, the Scouts assessed their few wounds and told Serenity and the boys of all that had happened.  
  
"There were youmas just everywhere!"  
  
"Which was totally not a problem, by the way..."  
  
"The ships were exactly like in my dream..."  
  
"Yeah, only they were getting blown apart."  
  
Serenity laughed and held up her hands. "Al right, I get it. Lots of exploding youmas and crystal ships. Anything else?"  
  
"They have a new general." Jupiter said, looking down at the bandage on her arm, covering a burn she had not known was there.  
  
"Where? I didn't see her." Mercury leaned forward, curious.  
  
"You're not going to like it." Jupiter glanced at Heero. He stiffened. Jupiter continued. "Do you remember that girl we saw at the festival? That Relena girl?" She got puzzled looks from some of the Scouts and slight jaw drops from the guys, as the realized what she was implying. She turned to the Scouts who had not seen her, or did not come to the past. "We met this girl at a festival we went to in the past. I was in the bathroom, and when I came out, she was talking to Heero. I went over and said hi, but she goes off and starts freaking out, saying that he should come back and protect her, and what was he doing with me, you know, jealous rants."  
  
Heero cut it. "I was pretty much her bodyguard for about a year and a half. During that time, I avoided most contact with her, but Relena thinks there was something between us. I explained that there wasn't but she continued to get upset and Jupiter and I left." He looked away, as if that were the end of it.  
  
"Well, it seems this Relena made some deal with the Black Moon." Jupiter frowned. "When we saw her, she was rather, well..."  
  
"Fat." Venus bluntly finished.  
  
"Well, yes. Anyway, I was fighting and she told me she got a brand new body and new powers, to kill us with and take Heero." Jupiter looked at him. He looked back at her and the hall was silent for a minute.  
  
Venus hopped down off her stool next to Duo and crossed her arms. "Are you telling me she got powers from them?! And what kind of body? Must have been pretty fast if even you didn't destroy her..."  
  
Jupiter smiled softly. "I guess she was a bit fast for me. Well, her body seems to be mostly her own, only...altered."  
  
Pluto frowned. "How so?"  
  
Rini giggled. "Does she have fangs?"  
  
"How was she altered, Jupiter?" Mercury pressed.  
  
"Well," Jupiter shifter on her stool. "She was definitely faster, and she, um, is thinner, a lot thinner, and her, you know..." She waved her arm in the general area of her chest. "She's kind of got more of a figure..." She frowned. "A lot more of a figure."  
  
Duo snorted with laughter. "Relena? With a figure?! No way! These Black moon people must be pretty good!"  
  
Even Zechs coughed into his hand to hide a smile. Pluto glared at him. "It doesn't matter. They have a new general, one who's very fast with power. She isn't the only problem we have." The hall silenced again. "I went out a bit further into their force than you all. I was hoping to see if they had a base. They do. It is a crystal palace, like our own, but it's black. Like their ships."  
  
"Great..." Laytha muttered.  
  
"I'm not done." Pluto continued soberly. "They are using mobile suits." That got every head in the hall focused on her. "Improved mobile suits. Our power doesn't work on them. They've somehow managed to copy our shield power idea, and put it to use on them."  
  
Mercury stood up. "But a shield like that can only be used on a large scale. They would have to be..." She trailed off, thinking. She closed her eyes. "The mobile suits humans used to use would be just big enough."  
  
"Yes, but one thing I did find out." Pluto crossed her arms. "I was firing blasts at them and missed once. It hit a building next to one and the building fell over on it. The building pinned it."  
  
"What does it mean?" Neptune looked at Mercury.  
  
Mercury touched her glasses in thought. "Maybe... Yes that's probably it. I think these new mobile suits are immune to our power, but are still affected by physical attacks. Like the building falling."  
  
Venus threw up her arms. "So what are we going to do? Collapse half the city just to pin down these things before they get close enough to us to crush us?"  
  
"I have an idea." Wufei spoke up for the first time in the conversation. "And I think at least one of us is not going to like it." Heero looked up. Wufei looked at Pluto, and asked, "Did you once say that moving inanimate objects between dimensions was easy, it was simply the living beings that required energy?" Pluto nodded. "This may be something of a bad idea, but what if you were to bring our Gundams here?"  
  
Heero stood up. He opened his mouth, then closed it and looked away.  
  
Quatre sighed heavily. "More fighting..."  
  
"Again..." Zechs agreed softly.  
  
Duo smiled softly and looked at Heero. "Man, it's the only plan we have. We can't let them lose their city because we refused to help..."  
  
Mercury shifted. "If it is a problem for any of you, we could probably find a different way to break the shields, or get around them."  
  
Trowa looked around Heero's shoulder to his face. "Heero, this would be our last mission. They need our help."  
  
Heero turned around and looked at the faces around him. His eyes once again went to the darkness outside. "Mission...accepted."  
  
Serenity nodded her head at him. "Thank you. All of you. Pluto..."  
  
"I will be back shortly." Pluto nodded to them, smiled, and left down the hall.  
  
Serenity looked at the others. "Now I suggest you all get some rest. We will have a big day tomorrow."  
  
Venus smiled slyly at Duo and sidled up next to him. "My place or yours?" He joked and they went up the stairs.  
  
Jupiter took Heero's hand. He started out of his thoughts and almost pulled away. He looked at Jupiter and smiled his very faint smile. She led him slowly up the stairs.  
  
Quatre and Mercury smiled at each other and followed. Neptune, Uranus and Rini left for their own rooms. Saturn stepped up to Zechs and took his hand in her own small one. "She'll be back soon. Don't worry." Zechs smiled down on her. She led him to the stairs. "You should get some rest too. Pluto would be mad if you didn't."  
  
Laytha looked after them and smiled. She took Trowa's arm wordlessly, and he took her up the stairs as well.  
  
The hall seemed suddenly very empty to Mars and Wufei. Mars went over and stood next to him. "Thank you..." She said quietly.  
  
"We were thinking it. I had to say something. It's not right that we could help you, but didn't say anything because we were too weak to face it again." Wufei looked out the window to the abandoned city.  
  
"Face what?" Mars asked gently, slipping her arm around his waist.  
  
Wufei hesitated and put his hand over hers. "In Heero's Gundam, there is a system. We call it the Zero System. At one time or another, each of us has had to face that damn thing." He spat the words, as though they had a bitter taste. "It confuses the mind and alters your thoughts. You would sacrifice your life, if the machine thought it necessary." Wufei smiled faintly. "Sacrifice is Heero's nature as it is. But he and Quatre were the only ones of us to even remotely master the System." Wufei closed his eyes. "They were the only ones strong enough."  
  
Mars put her hand under his chin and turned his face towards her. "Wufei, you are the strongest person I know, and do not tell me you cannot master that mindless machine. You can." She smiled. "But you do not have to."  
  
Wufei snorted weakly. "What does an onna know of such things..."  
  
Mars eyes shimmered with fire. "I know plenty..."  
  
Hey! What do you think? I know the action scenes were a tad weak, and it anyone has a few thoughts on how I could improve them, please e-mail me or just write in your review. Even if you don't have any ideas, review me anyway! I love to hear what you all think!  
  
mmj15@aol.com 


	27. The return of the Gundams

Chapter 27: The return of the Gundams  
  
Hey! What was up with ff.net yesterday? I had another chapter and everything, and then I get on and nothing worked! So, I spent the rest of the day redoing my first few chapters so they aren't so ugly when they're up. Anyway, here is the next chapter, enjoy!  
  
Zechs P.O.V.  
  
After a very quiet night, Zechs still lay awake in his bed. Memories flashed through his head. The Zero System, the battles, everything. (Which Gundam will she bring me? Will she even bring me a Gundam?) Zechs smiled to himself at the way Pluto had yelled at him for so much as moving around too often. He lifted his head at a small creak from the corner of the room.  
  
"You should sleep." Pluto's quiet voice drifted through the room.  
  
"I couldn't."  
  
"You should try." A faint light through the window illuminated Pluto's face. "The Gundam you will have is the...what was it called? Epyon?" She smiled softly and pulled the covers up over Zechs.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Pluto looked at him. "For what?"  
  
"For..." Zechs looked away. "Everything. For keeping me alive. For keeping me from hurting myself. For giving me another chance to fight."  
  
Pluto smiled and leaned her head down. "Just don't waste it."  
  
Zechs looked up at her from his bed. "I won't." He met her smile with his own.  
  
The next morning, there was no sign of an attack, so everyone went out and inspected the Gundams Pluto brought. Each of the boys hesitated, but walked slowly up to their respective suits.  
  
"So we meet again, Sandrock..." Quatre put his hands on the massive machine.  
  
"Nataku, we will fight once more together." Wufei whispered fondly.  
  
"You talk to that machine better than how you talk to me..." Mars teased. Wufei looked at her firmly, but softened a moment later.  
  
Heero stopped short of his and looked up at it. Jupiter stood next to him and looked up too. "What do you call it?"  
  
Heero hesitated. "...Wing Zero."  
  
"I heard about that killer system in it." Jupiter looked back at Heero. "You'd better not die out there, or I'm going to be really mad at you."  
  
Heero met Jupiter's eyes and blinked slowly. "Hn."  
  
Laytha went up and patted Trowa's Gundam. "It's pretty."  
  
Trowa looked up at it and smiled slowly. Lying on its back in the mists, the red and orange paint made the machine look as if it were bleeding.  
  
Serenity's voice rang through the courtyard they stood in. "If you boys want to check to make sure everything is in order, there are tools and such next to you, or somewhere around there." She gave a small laugh. "Hope you can find it through this morning mist."  
  
Zechs waved his hand and the mists parted long enough to make out a large, metal box sitting on the ground. "This must be it." Tucking the heavy box under his arm, he sprang up the side of Epyon, smiling as the cockpit opened automatically.  
  
He stopped for a moment as Duo's voice yelled out from somewhere. "Hey! Where exactly did you get them?"  
  
"I went back and took them a few seconds before you destroyed them back in your own time!" Pluto's voice yelled in response.  
  
Zechs smiled. (Being Guardian of Time must be a nice job. To be able to go back and change mistakes...) The smile dropped. (I have a job to do. Stop thinking about things you don't want to change.) Activating the system, he suppressed a smile as the familiar sound reached his ears. He turned on the screen and reached into the box. (They must have one...) Finding the tool, he opened the panel under the screen, and made the few adjustments he needed.  
  
Venus P.O.V.  
  
Venus stood on the ground in the damp mist while Duo worked above her in his Gundam. (Death Scythe... kind of depressing name...) She smiled to herself. (But it suits him somehow.) A few minutes went by and a loud curse echoed from above.  
  
"You okay?" Venus called up.  
  
"Fine!" Duo called back down. "These tools you all have, they're, um, kind of awkward to use!"  
  
"If they're too complicated for you, I 'm sure we have some, um, wrenches, or maybe some screwdrivers in the garage!" Uranus laughed.  
  
Through the mist, Venus could see Duo glaring down at her. Venus laughed and waved up at him.  
  
Over in the Wing Zero, Heero went over all the essentials. (Beam Cannon, full function. Gundam body, full function. Self destruct device...) His thoughts went to what Jupiter had said. (Full function.)  
  
In Wufei's Gundam, the self-destruct device was also on Wufei's mind. (Heero used it. Would he try again? Would I?)  
  
Mars voice sounded from below. "Are you done yet?"  
  
(I will not use it.) Wufei went over everything again. (The left arm is a little weak. I should go check it.) He closed the box and swung it out onto the outside. Jumping to the left arm, he was a bit surprised to see Mars climbing up and down over it. "What are you doing?" He called to her.  
  
"Anything to keep me from dying of boredom down here!" Mars yelled irritably.  
  
"Almost done." He said quietly as he jumped down  
  
"Good, because this is seriously boring."  
  
Opening a panel on the arm, Wufei was suddenly very aware of Mars's eyes on him. "What?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing. It's just..." Mars looked off into the mist.  
  
"What is it? Do you feel them?" Wufei looked at her, tensely.  
  
"No. It's just so strange. We've never really worked with a guy like this before and it feels...odd."  
  
He stopped, and grasped for another tool. "Odd?"  
  
Mars sighed, softly. "Every battle we've been in, it's only been us. Just the Scouts. Now you all are involved." Mars closed her eyes. "I just don't like others getting pulled into our problems."  
  
Wufei pulled out his arm and shut the panel. He stared at it for a moment, but did not answer Mars.  
  
After almost ten minutes of waiting, the six Gundams were fixed and altered to perfection. Heero wiped his hands on his shirt and approached the queen.  
  
"Queen Serenity?"  
  
She looked at him. "Yes?"  
  
"What is our objective? What is the purpose of this mission?"  
  
Serenity smiled. "You sound like Jupiter, only a bit more serious. The objective..."  
  
"To destroy as many of them as we can without killing any of us. They have the number advantage-"  
  
"By a whole lot." Venus interrupted Mercury.  
  
Mercury frowned at her and continued. "Yes, by a vast margin, but we have the skill and power advantage."  
  
"I'll take care of Relena." Jupiter said suddenly from the side. "She made it very clear she wants me dead, so I want to be the one going one-on- one with her."  
  
Neptune stepped forward. "They may have left you alone with her last time to give you time to figure out who she was. They may not let you have such time today."  
  
"Neptune's right." Duo agreed. "If she totally wants you dead, she'll make sure she can make the kill. Remember she was a diplomat, we can't count on her making dumb blond mistakes."  
  
Venus pushed him and Duo stumbled a few paces. "I resent that comment."  
  
Duo looked back at her. "Aw, babe, I didn't mean all blondes are dumb, just that she's had a few slip-ups in the past." He grinned apologetically. Venus gave in to his charm and put her arm around him.  
  
"You're so sweet..."  
  
"We should get going soon. Youmas don't need sleep and whatever was controlling those mobile suits probably doesn't either." Pluto said as she looked out into the fading mist towards the front of the palace. "I doubt they know we have a way to take out their mobile suits and since they saw me figure them out the other day, they'll try to bring them to the front line today to see if they can take us down with them."  
  
"But they can't because the Gundams will take care of them, right?" Saturn looked up at Zechs.  
  
He smiled down on her. "We will."  
  
In the dark crystal~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You called, Lord Diamond?" Relena knelt to the floor.  
  
"Yes. I heard you frightened Jupiter yesterday. Good work. But today you will not destroy her." Diamond took a sip from his wine glass.  
  
Relena looked up. "But sir...why not?"  
  
A soft chuckle reached her ears. Diamond set his glass down and looked to the ceiling. Or where the ceiling would have been. The dim light in the crystal hid the ceiling from view. Diamond chuckled again. "You know it is terrible what love can do to a man..."  
  
Relena looked at him strangely. (What is he implying?)  
  
"Oh, Relena, I'm not referring to your precious Heero, so take that offended look off your face." Diamond laughed again, even softer this time. "I'm sure you noticed how my brother, Sapphire, has been acting of late. You would never believe what he confessed to me last night after the battle." Diamond took another sip of his wine. "He told me of a beautiful woman he had seen in the city." He glanced at Relena and leered. "No, Relena it's not you he spoke of. He told me of a beautiful maiden with long blond hair that shone like the sun. He told me of eyes of a brighter blue than the sapphire crystals he collects. He spoke of a body that made him quiver at the mere thought of it." This time, Diamond threw back his head and laughed. "Do you know of whom he speaks? Of this goddess he has fallen for?" He paused for an answer but continued before Relena could respond. "I will tell you! It is Venus! Yes the Sailor Venus! One of our very enemies!" Diamond's laugh diminished to a small chuckle. "My own brother, fallen for the Goddess of Love herself... Do you know what we must do now, Relena?"  
  
"Mmmm..."  
  
"We must bring them together!" Diamond cried. He smiled mysteriously and closed his eyes. "Yes... What kind of brother would I be if I destroyed his first love? Which is why you will not destroy Jupiter today. No, not yet. Wise man told me of Pluto transporting something very large through the dimensions last night. We must be ready for anything they can throw at us. Since Pluto herself is the one who discovered our hmmm 'secret weapons' she must have something which might work against them. But no matter." Diamond stood up. "The mobile suits will go on the front line and the lemures will take the task of Venus. You, Relena will see to the overall capture. If the other Scouts get in the way, you will stop them, but do not," He turned to put Relena under his glare. "I repeat, do not destroy them. Injury is fine, but destruction is not. Dismissed."  
  
Relena nodded and left the room. (Yes, Sapphire was acting oddly yesterday... Well, so long as I get Jupiter eventually, I have no problem following another's plans.) He black, spike-heeled boots clicking on the black floor, she made her way back to her room.  
  
So...what do you think? I have a big chapter coming up next, so sorry if this one's a little short. By the way...can someone tell me the name of Trowa's Gundam? I was thinking about it the other day, and I can't remember it!!! And I think I spelled Zechs Gundam right, but if I didn't, let me know. Anyway, review me and tell me how you liked this and my other chapter. 'Til next time!!! 


	28. The next battle

Chapter 28: The next battle  
  
Hey, I didn't have any homework, so here's a new chapter a little early this week! First of all, thanks to the people who reviewed and told me that Trowa's Gundam was Heavy Arms. Really appreciate it... Anyway, here's the chapter!  
  
"So we just go out and take care of any mobile suits we see?" Duo asked doubtfully.  
  
"Yes. We won't be using any, but make sure you don't hit your friends." Mercury looked away from him towards the wall, which, on this side, was a bright crimson red. "There will be youmas out there as well..."  
  
"But feel free to step on them if you want. And those crystal ships are open targets too." Venus finished, flashing an evil grin.  
  
"But your main goal is taking out their mobile suits." Pluto brushed her hair back. "The youmas and ships we can deal with. The mobile suits we would have difficulty with. And, before I forget, here are some com-pills. Swallow them, and you'll be able to keep in touch with any of us." She tossed each of the boys a tiny pill, each of them swallowed without complaint. "Now let's go. We want to keep the battle a bit further from the palace this time. No reason putting the shield under unneeded pressure." Pluto stared towards the shield.  
  
The Scouts nodded to Queen Serenity and followed. The boys gave swift, polite nods and climbed into their respective Gundams.  
  
It started sooner than expected. Pluto spotted Relena standing cockily on a roof. When they stopped to see what she was up to, swarms of youmas poured out from the abandoned buildings. There was a few seconds of worry as the boys got a good look at their first youma.  
  
"What the hell is that!!!?" Duo yelled.  
  
"That's a youma!" Neptune yelled.  
  
"They aren't the most attractive of creatures..." Trowa commented.  
  
"Keep your mind on the mission." Heero said shortly.  
  
Sure enough, a slow, but massive surge of black painted mobile suits jumped nimbly and moved from behind the buildings. Heero pulled his beam cannon up and the battle began.  
  
Venus P.O.V.  
  
"Shit!!!!!" She yelled as she narrowly dodged a falling building brought down by a blast from Heero. "Watch it up there!" She yelled, but got no response.  
  
A group of youmas approached her but got dusted easily by a swift crescent beam. "These guys just keep coming..." Just then, a mass of earth flew up in front of her. Venus looked up to see Death Scythe standing over her. She waved and blew apart a few ships training in on Duo. She could almost see him smirk as he trudged off, slashing black mobile suits apart.  
  
Venus sighed and off-handedly put a beam through a small wave of youmas. A cluster of ships overhead burst apart and Venus waved to Mars standing atop a roof, apparently also getting bored with the lack of challenge. Venus turned and blew apart a group of approaching youmas. Sighing again, she leapt up on a balcony overhead and bounded from there, to the roof. Extending her hand towards the ground below, Venus pulled in energy. She smiled mischievously as the power drew together in her hand. (Should have done this sooner.) The building shook treacherously as she released the energy ball. It sped towards the ground and collided with the shocked youmas. (Takes care of that bunch.)  
  
She turned around and saw the Nataku Gundam slam a mobile suit into the ground on top of several others. She waved cheerfully but got nothing in the way of a response. (These guys sure do take battle seriously... Even when it's as easy as this...) Hurrying to the other edge of the roof, Venus smiled to see Rini following her example and pulling energy and pitching it from above. (Well, looks like everyone is catching on.) Venus looked around and saw Mars, Uranus, and Mercury doing the same.  
  
A presence suddenly made itself known behind Venus. She whipped around, energy ready. But nothing was there. Tossing a few energy balls into the air told her nothing was there. Frowning, she put her hand on her hip. (Was it my imagination?) Duo's voice suddenly rang in her head. "Venus, behind you!"  
  
This time, she released the energy as soon as she turned and gasped as she saw what it connected with. Dozens of little, black, furry balls, no bigger than basketball, scattered away from her blast. But they spun around, glared their little glowing eyes at her, and redoubled their attack. They gathered in a black, fuzzy cloud and dove at her. Venus dodged it, kneeling to the ground and fired a scatter beam at their backs. Once again, they broke away from the blast, but this time, went around it and caught Venus in her shock and surrounded her.  
  
Inside the cloud, the little balls blocked out all light. They began pressing in on her and Venus shrieked as she felt the air get thinner. Everywhere the fuzzy things glared at her, as if waiting for her to die. Venus tried to stretch out and call power but the creatures pushed so hard and their eyes, the only feature in the sphere of darkness, seemed to blur and run together. (No...) Venus thought as she slipped down into the darkness.  
  
Jupiter's P.O.V.  
  
Jupiter had found Relena easy enough. Once again the energy balls appeared in Relena's hands and Jupiter had to move even faster than the day before to dodge them.  
  
As if she could read Jupiter's thought, Relena taunted her. "What's the matter? Am I too fast for you? You may have been quick to snatch Heero, but I guess you're just not quick enough for me." She cackled as an orb missed Jupiter's head by mere inches.  
  
The pause was all Jupiter needed. Pulling energy, she threw enough at Relena to put her off for a few seconds. Enough time to pull a proper attack. Sure enough, the thunder clap hit Relena in mid-laugh and brought her to her knees. "You bitch!" She shrieked as she clasped her hands to her left hip. "You'll pay for that!"  
  
"You wish!" Jupiter yelled in reply as the thunder bolt came hurling down at the rooftop. Relena dodged away seconds before the bolt hit and Jupiter silently cursed.  
  
"Was that the best you got?!" Relena laughed hysterically. "Even when I'm wounded, you still aren't fast enough!"  
  
"You can't run forever!" Jupiter yelled as another bolt flew down. Once again, it missed by a few precious seconds.  
  
"Oh, but I can..." Relena hissed practically in Jupiter's ear. Jupiter whipped around, but Relena dashed just out of her reach. "I can run forever, but you can't pull energy like that forever. I just have to-"  
  
A piercing shriek pulled Jupiter's attention away from Relena. (Venus...) Jupiter prepared to leap off the roof and find wherever Venus was, but Relena caught her from behind. "Not so fast..." Relena mocked as she wrapped her arms around Jupiter's waist and pulled her back down to the ground.  
  
They hit the pavement with a sharp thump. Jupiter knew better than to check if Relena had gotten hurt by the fall. She whipped around to face her, but...nothing. The street was suddenly abandoned.  
  
Pluto's voice spoke in her ear. "They've retreated. Pretty elaborate, vanishing all at once, but its good news for us. They'll be recovering for a bit after this. Let's get back to the palace." Jupiter nodded to the air in front of her. She suddenly smiled at what might have made them retreat so fast. (They probably pulled some trick on Venus, freaked her out, and she blew half of their forces to bits.) Jupiter nodded again. (There were a lot less youmas around...)  
  
Jupiter stepped easily through the blue section of the wall and looked around. Everyone was already there. Jupiter frowned. "Where's Venus?"  
  
Duo stood up and looked behind Jupiter. "We thought she was with you."  
  
Jupiter looked back. "No..." She spoke into the communication piece. "Venus... Oh Venus... Where are you..." Jupiter frowned as there was no response. "I don't like this."  
  
"Hey," Rini stepped forward. "That scream, was it from Venus?"  
  
"Yes. I was."  
  
The group almost physically took a step back. Duo swallowed audibly. "I saw what happened." Every eye in the clearing snapped to him. "I was taking out those mobile suits, right? And I see this little black cloud behind Venus, so I yell out 'Watch out!' and she turns around and blasts the little things, but I turned away, I thought she could handle it..." He growled at himself and looked away.  
  
"Don't start massing self-loathing just yet, Duo." Mars said promptly. "This cloud, what did it look like?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "I was too far up to make out details. Just that they had little eyes and they were just little black balls." He shrugged again and looked down.  
  
"Lemures." The Scouts said in unison.  
  
"Lemures?" Wufei looked at Mars questioningly.  
  
"Lemures are bits of darkness pulled together into an entity. They have no mind but it takes a strong power to control them." Mercury explained. "The last time we fought them, they wee only used to knock out common people to make a clean battle. The more complex the task, or the more power it takes, the stronger the power required to control them."  
  
Laytha collapsed in the grass. "Great. So we're up against a power that deceives us by putting a few armies worth of youmas on the field, but has enough power to control enough lemures to..." She trailed off.  
  
"No." Heero stood up. "Venus may be...perky and not very focused, but if her power is anything like Jupiter's or the rest of yours', it's not logical for the enemy to pick off a single target. Especially during a battle."  
  
"He's right." Trowa added. "It would be easier for them if they took one of you when they had the advantage. On of you could have easily gone to help her."  
  
"I don' think they killed her." Zechs said shortly. "You talk as if it requires vast amounts of power to control a lemure. Wouldn't that power be better spent on one who is a bit more important?"  
  
Rini glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
Neptune hushed her. "Wait, he has a point. Why didn't they go after Pluto or Jupiter? If they had the power to kill Pluto, we would have been cut off from the past, they probably know where you boys come from; and Relena seems hell-bent on killing Jupiter, so why didn't they save her the trouble and take out Jupiter?"  
  
"The onna has a point." Wufei snorted. "The enemy wants Venus for a purpose other than to kill her."  
  
"But what..." Duo sighed.  
  
"I'll get to the lab and see if I can trace her. They probably brought her back to the crystal, but we don't know for sure." Mercury headed off for the doors.  
  
"There is nothing more we can do until Mercury finds out where she is. Heero, you boys should get to working on any repairs you need." Jupiter said quickly, masking her anxiety. (Venus, I hope you are alright...) She thought as she rounded the palace and stepped up to the doors.  
  
Venus P.O.V.  
  
Venus awoke to find herself in her own bed. She started to sit up but a hand pushed her gently back down. "You need to rest." Duo's voice drifted to Venus.  
  
"Duo! Was the battle a dream?"  
  
Duo smiled his usual laughing smirk. "What battle? Did you have a dream? Was I in it..." His voice drifted further away.  
  
Venus reached up for him but ran into a wall. Her room darkened to a pitch black and the wall in front of her slowly grew fur and glaring eyes turned to laugh at her...  
  
Venus bolted up and felt her vision restoring. She wasn't in her room, but somewhere else. Its walls were high and gray. There were no windows, not even any furniture, save the wide double bed she was sitting on. Venus looked down and tugged the covers up around her. (Where are my clothes?!) She was wearing nothing except for her yellow bra and panties. A soft chuckle came from the other side of the room.  
  
"The body of a goddess... Hmmm, that makes sense... You are, technically a goddess." Venus scooted around, pulling the white sheets with her and stared at the dark figure in the doorway. He move forward into the light and sighed softly.  
  
The man had dark blue hair, so dark it looked black, and matching eyes. His suit was the same color, with small blue crystals adorning the front. "Who, who are you?" Venus asked unsteadily.  
  
"I? I am your future mate. I am Sapphire, brother of Lord Diamond and perhaps the luckiest man on this god-forsaken planet." He laughed bluntly.  
  
Venus pulled herself together. "Why am I here?"  
  
"Because I brought you here. Well, not me specifically. My dear brother commanded the lemures to bring you to me. Diamond is so kind..." Sapphire crossed the room slowly towards Venus and she scooted away from him. She got to the end of the bed and fell off with a dull thud. "My sweet angel...such passion..." He laughed softly.  
  
"Okaaaay... It's been fun, but I should really be going..." Venus stood slowly and pulled the sheets closer around her.  
  
"Oh, I can't allow that. You must remain here. Don't worry, though. You won't be alone. I shall...accompany you from time to time." He smiled evilly and hitched at his dark blue trousers.  
  
Venus took an unconscious step back and ran into the wall. (This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening...)  
  
"Oh, but this is happening dear one." Sapphire stepped around the bed and up to Venus. She backed further into the wall and slid away into the corner. "Why do you run? Do you not want to be near me?"  
  
Venus laughed nervously. "Sorry I'm kind of seeing someone."  
  
Sapphire lost his smile for a moment. "Seeing someone?" He regained his smirk. "It matters not to me. Now on to happier thoughts..." He seemed to transport across the room to Venus. At that moment, Venus hit him with the power she had been slowly pulling together while he was immersed in conversation. Sapphire let out a cry as he hit the opposite wall and fell to the floor. Venus scrambled to her feet and looked carefully at Sapphire. He didn't move, save fro his now heavy breathing.  
  
Hesitating a moment, Venus looked at the open door and dashed through it. Once outside, she looked up and down the empty, dark hall, and tied the sheet around her chest and folded it up and tied it around her waist as well. Glancing once back into the room, she crept down the hall.  
  
(Okay, let's find the exit. Where would it be?) A clicking noise echoed down the hall. Venus flattened against the wall and lowered her breathing. Possibilities flashed through her head. (Is it a bomb clock? A laser targeting in?) Sucking in her breath, she waited. Something caught the corner of her eye. Venus flattened further into the wall. But she didn't need to. The clicking was merely the heels of Relena's boots on the floor, and she was so immersed in her own thoughts to notice Venus.  
  
As she passed down the hall, Venus let out her breath. (Geez, that was seriously close. Well, Relena, I hope you just came from the exit...) Venus slipped around the corner and started down, turning every few seconds to make sure Relena hadn't returned or Sapphire hadn't woken up yet. (I hit him pretty hard, he should stay out for a while.) She smiled at the memory. More footsteps ahead made Venus duck into an empty room. She peeked through the door crack and saw a distinguished man in a white suit with matching white hair walk by, followed silently by three or four youmas.  
  
Venus swallowed. (He must be the guy in charge.) Then, remembering the lemures, (Or at least one of the guys in charge.) She slipped out of the room and continued on her way. She heard no more footsteps, but she was dismayed to find that the hall did not lead to the exit, as she hoped.  
  
Instead it led to a large room, easily as large as the lab back in the palace. But the room did not catch Venus's attention, it was what was in the room that surprised her. On the other side of a railing, hung, supported by a black marble column, was an immense, black crystal. It looked very similar to the black ships, but seemed to have more points on it. Venus shivered. (It feels so cold... That thing reeks of darkness...) Footsteps behind her caused Venus to leap to the wall and slide around a nearby corner.  
  
The same man in white she had seen earlier walked up to the crystal. His voice echoed off the far walls. "Yes my dark crystal. You will soon have more energy to store away for us. But here, here is the little beauty that makes it all possible..." From inside his coat pocket, he pulled a small device. From her vintage point behind the corner, Venus saw the small mechanism. It looked like a computer chip, but the dark energy invested into it was obvious to even Venus, who stood at least ten feet away.  
  
The man in white opened his arms and closed his black eyes. A tile in front of him elevated from the floor and separated into four pieces. The man placed the chip in between them and they reformed together and slid down into the floor. Black-purple energy flowed up the column and into the crystal. It began to pulse its energy and Venus shivered again.  
  
"Yes, my sweet crystal, gather your energy back. We will need it for tomorrow..." His voice drifted off, and he turned to leave the room. He cast a final, almost mocking look back at it and left. Venus took a step out and scuttled back behind the corner as footsteps returned. It was the man yet again. "Almost forgot my snack for you..." He smiled coyly and tossed a small ball of energy up into the crystal.  
  
Smiling again, he turned to leave. But another pair of footfalls were echoing towards the room. The man frowned. Sapphire practically burst through the doors and bowed his head before the man in white. "What is it, brother?" He asked.  
  
"My...Venus has escaped my grasp." Sapphire confessed apologetically.  
  
The man in white shook his head. "Sapphire, you know she must have found the way out by now."  
  
"Yes, I know. Diamond, I merely wished to inform you." Sapphire looked away.  
  
Diamond smiled. "Yes, but you understand that unless it is advantageous to us that we capture her, we cannot spend valuable energy on her again."  
  
"I know, brother. Speaking of energy, how is the Dark Crystal doing?"  
  
Diamond turned and looked up at it. "She is fine. I had to take the chip away for more energy this morning. Even when she is powerless, the crystal holds its beauty."  
  
Sapphire looked away painfully. "Speak not of beauty..."  
  
Diamond laughed gently. "Do not pine for the girl. When we conquer this city, perhaps we will spare her and after that, you may do with her what you like."  
  
Sapphire's devious smile was apparent to Venus clear across the room. "Thank you, brother..."  
  
"Come now. We must sleep. This morning's exercises have taxed us." Diamond put his arm around Sapphire and led him away.  
  
Venus waited until their footsteps were completely faded away before stepping out from behind the corner. "So the crystal needs the chip to have energy..." Venus smiled and walked cautiously up to the tile. Holding her hands out in front of her, she called up some energy and cast it down through her hands. Nothing happened. (Great. You need dark energy to activate it.) Venus frowned and padded silently on her bare feet from the room.  
  
Venus walked for what seemed like ages and narrowly dodged many encounters by flitting into spare rooms at the last moment. During the careful tour, Venus discovered many youma barracks, most of which were empty, a few high class rooms, probably reserved for more of Diamond's family and lackeys, and also a massive portal set in the center of a room. The portal was easily big enough to fit one of the Gundams at full height. (I guess we know where they are getting their mobile suits from.)  
  
But after all the slim escapes and new discoveries, Venus found the exit. It was a tall, narrow door set on a slightly sloping wall. Pushing it gently open, Venus was more than relieved to see the tall abandoned buildings of Crystal Tokyo.  
  
Venus was a little unhappy to have to walk all the way across the city, but just seeing the palace was enough to set her running towards it. Once inside the palace, she yelled at the top of her voice, "HEY! ANYBODY HOME!" That got the whole group down to the front hall.  
  
"Venus!"  
  
"You're back!"  
  
"Are you alright?!"  
  
"What happened to your clothes?"  
  
Venus stemmed the flow of questions with a wave of her hand. "I'll answer everything, as soon as I get to sit down somewhere." Everyone smiled and led her to the library, the nearest open room. Duo took Venus's hand and she stopped short of the doors. The others saw the signal and moved slowly away to give them some privacy.  
  
Duo turned and looked at Venus. "I...missed you."  
  
Venus smiled softly. "I missed you too."  
  
Duo's eyes softened and he pulled her into a tight embrace. The world around them seemed to melt away and they were left standing in nothingness. "Are you okay?" Was all he could manage.  
  
"I'm alright. You?"  
  
"Perfect, now that you're here..."  
  
Afterwards, Venus explained everything to the Scouts, boys and Serenity. The crystal, the mobile suit portal, everything. Except for Sapphire. There was no reason for them to know about his problems. (That is probably best left on a need-to-know basis.)  
  
That night, after everyone had settled down and Mercury had set off to compact the residual darkness on Venus into a ball concentrated enough to open the tile, Pluto and Zechs were left alone in the dark library.  
  
"What is it?" Pluto looked at Zechs, concerned at his silence.  
  
"What if that had been you?" He asked. Pluto looked at him strangely. "What if you had been taken off by the lemures? What if you had not been able to escape? I just..." He trailed off and looked into the darkness of the library.  
  
Pluto walked over to him and put her arms around his waist. He started at the sudden contact, but did not pull away. Pluto leaned her head against his firm chest. "But it wasn't me."  
  
Zechs circled his arms around her shoulders. "But it could have, and I would have been helpless. There would have been nothing I could have done."  
  
Pluto leaned her cheek against his. "We have a saying, 'Don't worry about what might have been, only what might be.' It's good advice. We know now they have lemures and next time, they won't catch us by surprise. And as soon as Mercury gets the energy compacted enough, we'll come up with a plan to get that chip so they won't be able to use the lemures, anyway."  
  
"Hmmm. Yes. It is good advice." Zechs whispered as he turned his head slightly and brushed his lips against her face. "Very good advice."  
  
"Promise you'll stop thinking about it?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
Awww... Isn't that so nice? So, how was this chapter? I told you it would be long. Did you like the lemures? I took them out of one of the Sailor Moon comics, I'm not sure if they were in the cartoon or not. Anyway, review me 'kay? Bye! 


	29. More trouble to come

Chapter 29: More trouble to come  
  
Hey!!! Sorry, I would have had this out sooner, but I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and couldn't get on the computer until, like, six. So, here it is!!  
  
Wufei's P.O.V.  
  
Mars and Wufei didn't part ways until later in the night, as usual, but this night, Mars stayed longer than usual.  
  
"You shouldn't be going in there without at least one of us." Wufei protested, in his typical stubborn manner.  
  
Mars rolled her eyes. "We will be fine. We aren't just some 'weak onnas' remember?" She danced a small fireball in front of his face, as if to remind him.  
  
He brushed her hand away. "I know. I just have an ominous feeling about this mission." He stared into the fire; as if it would give him the answers he wanted.  
  
Mars took his hand and squeezed it. "Stop worrying. We'll be fine. All we have to do is get in, steal the chip and get out without anyone noticing us. Venus ran around there for almost a half an hour and no one noticed her. It can't be that hard. Besides," Mars turned her head to look into Wufei's face. "If we do run into trouble, I would feel much better if we didn't have to protect you."  
  
Wufei looked at her, trying visibly not to glare. "Protect? Me? I don't need-"  
  
"Some onna to protect me." Mars finished. She pulled her arms tighter around his waist. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. Will you stop trying to be such a guy and be reasonable for once?"  
  
"At least I'm not being foolish; running into enemy territory, with no back-up plan, or even reinforcements."  
  
Mars rolled her eyes again. Wufei, if we get in trouble, you have my permission to save us."  
  
Wufei snorted audibly. "As though I would need your permission."  
  
Mars smiled to herself and pulled energy out of the fire, making it die down. "We should get to bed."  
  
"Yes we should." Wufei jerked his head up at the statement he'd just said. And what it implied. "I, mean, I didn't mean we, that we, together, should." He trailed off, looking for words.  
  
Mars sighed and brushed her lips against his cheek. "I know." As she walked towards the door, she turned half around. "But it's not a bad idea."  
  
Wufei's head snapped to her as she quickly stepped out and shut the door. (Did she mean.) The fire suddenly went out, leaving Wufei with his thoughts in the dark.  
  
He felt a tingling along his face where she had left her kiss. A red tinge appeared and Wufei looked at the window. (Dawn comes all to soon.)  
  
In the middle of the next morning, everyone was ready to implement the plan Mercury had come up with the night before. Everyone that is, except Wufei. He still insisted, though quietly, that he had a bad feeling about the whole idea.  
  
Mars glared at him softly as she left the palace. Laytha sighed heavily. "I just don't see why some of us have to stay behind."  
  
Uranus shook her head. "For the last time, our power levels would be too noticeable if we all went in together. And there's no reason for more than one group to go, since Venus is the only one who knows her way around."  
  
Laytha grudgingly agreed and fell silent.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, the Inner Scouts found themselves outside the Dark Crystal, staring up at a large door. "You sure this is it?" Jupiter asked doubtfully.  
  
"Positive." Venus went up to it and pushed it open slowly. Not even a creak emitted from the hinges.  
  
The Scouts stepped inside and the door swung shut noiselessly behind them. Mercury pulled out her hand computer and typed rapidly on it. "Clear." She said after shutting it. "There are a few youma packs running around, but nothing major."  
  
Mars frowned. "You would think they would have more security than this."  
  
Mercury stepped past her and looked around the corner. "They haven't tried a direct attack on the palace; they probably want us to use the same courtesy."  
  
Venus snorted. "They wish. Come on, this way." Fortunately, Venus had a very good memory and knew almost precisely where they were headed. She silently recalled what Diamond had said about her, and what would happen when they conquered the city. (You wish, Sapphire. You. Wish.)  
  
They soon found themselves outside the great room where Venus had seen the dark crystal. Mercury stopped and checked her computer. "Geez, she must be right, there's way too much dark energy in that room for it to be natural." Closing her mini laptop, she stepped up to the door. "Here it goes. You have the energy ball, Venus?"  
  
Venus nodded and held up the small sphere of darkness that would let them into the tile. "Check."  
  
The girls nodded to each other and Venus pushed open the door. The room was completely dark, and Mars shut the door behind her before she and Venus lit balls of light.  
  
The energy was instantly sucked out of the balls and something in the dark suddenly pinned the Scouts to the wall. The lights suddenly glared on, revealing thick, dark green vines holding the Scouts to the wall, and another group of people in the room. Relena, Diamond, Sapphire, a woman with green hair, giggling behind a red feather fan, and another man with deep red hair, standing with his hands across his chest, smirking.  
  
Diamond stepped up to the girls and smiled. "My, my. You came a bit earlier than expected. Hmmm. How rude." He walked along the row and stopped in front of Mars. "You should have listened to Sailor Mars. It is a bit odd we don't have tighter security. Isn't that right, Sapphire?"  
  
Sapphire nodded shortly and sauntered up to Venus. He ran his finger along the vine that held her across the chest. "Sweetness, you didn't really think that a little blast like that would really knock me out, did you?" Venus said nothing, but jerked her face away from his touch. He clasped his fingers around her jaw and pulled her face towards him forcefully. "I would never go down so easily. Actually, I guess it depends on what I'm going down for." He laughed quietly.  
  
"You knew we were coming." Mercury growled.  
  
Relena smirked. "Of course. Sapphire spent time talking to give Venus enough time to power up a little, and seemed to get knocked out to give her the time to escape. I walked down the hall by there, and pretended not to notice her, to give dear Venus the impression I came from the exit." She closed her eyes, seemingly satisfied with her part.  
  
"When you got to the crystal room, I came in." Diamond continued. "I started talking to myself, saying just enough to tell you that the chip is what gives the crystal its energy. Sapphire was a bit late, so I left the first time and came back when I saw him coming."  
  
Sapphire chuckled under his breath. Tracing Venus's neck, he licked his lips. "I told a few tales to make it seem I knew you had gone and that we figured you had made it out by then."  
  
The woman with green hair snapped her fan shut and smiled. "So I guess you girls know what happens now."  
  
"Humor us." Jupiter growled.  
  
"We keep you here long enough to make your little friends anxious." Diamond explained calmly. "They come looking for you, and we ensnare them as well." Diamond glanced at Relena and continued. "The boys, of course, will want to save you. So once they are here, we will take their Gundams, give the Heero boy to Relena and feed the rest to the crystal. Which is what will happen to you as well." Diamond turned to look at the crystal behind him. "Rubius. Emerald." The woman with the fan and the man with red hair snapped to attention. "See to it our.guests are made comfortable."  
  
The two nodded and started to approach the Scouts. Sapphire smiled at how Venus shifted under the heavy vines that trapped her to the wall. "Don't even try, precious. These vines suck up any energy you try to pull, and they feed it directly to the dark crystal. Now, just rest."  
  
Venus opened her mouth to say something, but it turned into a short cry as a row of thorns pierced her arm. Venus suddenly fell limp and the vines moved away to drop her into Sapphire's arms. "Come my sweet." He cooed into her ear. "We have much to do and so little time." He laughed softly and walked from the room. Diamond followed, leaving Emerald, Rubius, and Relena to deal with the other Scouts.  
  
"Come now, Jupiter, we must get you to your room." Relena sneered as the thorns punctured Jupiter's arm and she fell unconscious.  
  
Back at the palace~~~~~~~~  
  
"Do you really think they'll be alright?" Duo asked Heero.  
  
Heero nodded. "It's a simple mission. Infiltrate the enemy's compound, retrieve mechanism, and get out with minimum confrontation. Simple enough."  
  
Quatre sighed. "For us, maybe, but they-"  
  
"But they have been doing battle since before you were born." Uranus interrupted. "One would think they would know what they're doing by now."  
  
"Besides, what's the worst that can happen?" Neptune shrugged her shoulders.  
  
At that moment, Saturn came running down the hall. "Come quick!! Pluto thinks the others are in trouble!!"  
  
Not quite glaring at Neptune, the boys followed her down the hall.  
  
When they got to the lab, Pluto was typing furiously on it. "We lost contact with their energies a few minutes ago." Pluto explained. "I thought it might be a flux, but they still haven't come up again, and now it's starting to worry me."  
  
"I knew something terrible would happen." Wufei said shortly.  
  
Laytha looked at him but spoke to Pluto. "Have they come out of the crystal, or were they just going in?"  
  
"They have been in there for at least fifteen minutes. I was getting a steady signal the whole time." Pluto stopped typing and rubbed at her eyes.  
  
Zechs put his hand on her back. "Is there anything that would have made their signals disappear like that?"  
  
"Only if either something more powerful than this computer is shielding them, or if." Serenity trailed off as she stepped through the doors.  
  
"No." Heero said flatly. "They are stronger than that. It would be difficult for the enemy to destroy them, even if they were in enemy territory."  
  
"He's right." Wufei confirmed. "Wouldn't the computer pick up an energy blast that strong?" He looked at Pluto.  
  
"Yes it would. So they are trapped." Pluto looked back at the computer screen. "But hat doesn't make it any better."  
  
"We have to go after them." Duo said, standing up.  
  
"We are going to." Quatre seconded.  
  
"No you are not." Serenity commanded severely.  
  
"Your Highness, they do have a point." Neptune said smoothly.  
  
"They are our only defense against the mobile suits. What would happen if they were killed?" Serenity almost hissed.  
  
"We would go anyway." Zechs stood up straight and looked at Serenity squarely.  
  
"I promised Mars if she were to get into trouble, I would save her. I cannot break my promise." Wufei breathed easily.  
  
"We will go, with or without your permission, Neo-Queen Serenity." Heero said monotonously.  
  
"If the others are going, I will go as well." Trowa said quietly. Laytha stood next to him and squeezed his hand.  
  
"They are intent to go, Serenity. It's not right we should stand in their way." Saturn whispered.  
  
"Mama, please let them go." Rini said from the corner. "If I were trapped in that crystal, wouldn't you come and rescue me?" Her small voice seemed to echo in the expansive lab.  
  
Serenity looked away. "If you must go."  
  
Less than five minutes later, the boys stood in front of the black crystal, looking up into its dark facets.  
  
"I'm coming, Venus. Don't worry." Duo said quietly.  
  
So.how did you like it? I'm trying to bring the boys back to their original attitudes, (this is a war, after all) so let me know how I'm doing on that. The next chapter may come out as soon as tomorrow, but I can't promise that. Anyway, do you like the 'queenly' attitude Serenity has? I decided to give her a real backbone, for now anyway. Well, review me!!! 


	30. Rescue

Chapter 30: Rescue  
  
Hey! Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter out. I knew what was going to happen; I just didn't have the time to get it all down. Anyway, here it is...  
  
Heero P.O.V.  
  
The boys walked silently along the smooth, dark floors. Heero crept along the wall, tightening his grip on the gun in his hands. The spare in his pockets rubbed against his side. Stopping at the corner, he pressed against the wall and heard the others do the same behind him. Heero slowly tilted his head and looked around the corner into yet another empty hallway.  
  
He nodded shortly and they continued. (This place is endless. Where can they be?) Heero stopped and peered into a small room. (So many empty rooms. Did the Scouts destroy that many of those...things?) Heero frowned and turned his head slightly to see Duo quietly walk softly up next to him.  
  
"Heero," Duo whispered. "How long 'til we find them? We've been walking forever."  
  
Heero didn't respond but kept Duo's slower pace.  
  
Quatre padded up behind them. "Duo's right, they could be anywhere."  
  
"Maybe so, but we must keep walking." Wufei half-growled, moving slightly faster and pulling in front.  
  
Trowa sighed quietly and said nothing.  
  
After a few minutes, the hallway ended abruptly with a pair of large doors. The boys nodded silently to each other and stepped up to the door. It pushed open easily, despite its size. Slipping inside, Trowa shut it behind them and they looked towards a faint light in the center of the room.  
  
Heero stopped short in front of it. "It's the crystal Venus spoke of." He said quietly over his shoulder.  
  
Duo crossed his arms. "Looks like its still got its energy."  
  
Wufei stood next to him. "Which means they didn't complete the mission."  
  
"Maybe they did, but were caught on the way out." Quatre suggested.  
  
"Either way, they must still be in the area." Heero cut in.  
  
"How do we find them?" Duo frowned in the dim light.  
  
"We make the enemy come to us." Heero lifted his gun towards the crystal.  
  
Quatre moved quickly in front of Heero and pushed his gun down. "Heero, wait a moment. Who knows what will happen if we shoot this thing? If it explodes and wipes us out, it will give the enemy the advantage over the Scouts. They will have only Zechs to stop the mobile suits."  
  
"There was a reason Pluto told him to stay, simply to satisfy their queen's worries." Trowa added.  
  
"We can't let their kingdom die because we were reckless." Quatre continued. "Let's think about this before we ruin the only chance we may get to use this crystal to our advantage."  
  
Wufei stepped up next to Heero and looked up at the crystal. "Drawing the enemy to us is not a good plan." Everyone looked at him. He crossed his arms. "Don't forget the onnas' powers. If the enemy managed to subdue them, what will they do to us?" Wufei scowled. "We are too weak to stand against them right now."  
  
"Not exactly." Quatre quietly contradicted. "Do you remember when I asked for your weapons right before we left?" The others nodded. Quatre had taken the guns while they were preparing. "Well, Pluto said not to tell you unless we would need them, but when I took them, she installed certain...alterations in them."  
  
Heero looked at his gun doubtfully. "What type of alterations?"  
  
"Well, they no longer shoot bullets for one-"  
  
Heero looked up sharply. Quatre stepped back and continued abruptly. "That is, they don't shoot ordinary bullets. She borrowed some of the palace's energy and compacted it into tiny bullets for the gun." He straightened. "These bullets, she told me, were 'everlasting' or they never run out."  
  
Wufei took out his smaller gun and looked at it. "You asked for my katana as well. What did she do with that?"  
  
Quatre looked at him. "Well, she did basically the same thing. She took some more of the power and installed it into the blade. She told me it would cut most things now, but she wasn't very specific about what sort of things..."  
  
Duo shook his head rapidly. "We need to get moving again. Staying in one spot like this isn't really smart." He brushed his braid back over his shoulder and walked towards the door.  
  
"Hn." Heero followed him. Once they were back out in the hall, they resumed their quiet approach.  
  
After a few minutes, Heero stopped abruptly. A clicking noise sounded down the hall. The five flattened themselves against the wall, but the clicking grew steadily louder. Someone came around the corner. Black leather reflected the dim light from above and five jaws dropped as five boys realized who it was.  
  
Heero could have sworn he saw dots flashing before his eyes. (Relena?!)  
  
The girl looked up at them. "Hey." She said in an unexpectedly seductive voice.  
  
Duo emitted a small sound as he looked her over. A tight leather black mini-skirt attached to an equally tight black top that ringed her neck and cut off neatly at her shoulders. Black spike heels tapped on the floor, creating the clicking sound they had heard.  
  
"Well?" Relena said, obviously expecting more of a reaction.  
  
"Sluty onna...what are you wearing? And how did you get here?" Wufei hissed half-heartedly.  
  
Relena tilted her head back and glared at him with a smile. "What, that bimbo Jupiter didn't tell you?" She looked away. "What am I calling her a bimbo for?" She smiled. "She's practically my sister now..."  
  
Heero's head snapped towards her. Relena focused on him. "Does that surprise you?"  
  
"Liar." Trowa said curtly before Heero could voice it.  
  
Relena giggled. "Am I? Come on, I'll show you." She clicked into a side room and held up her hands to the wall. With her back turned, Heero inched his hand closer to his pocketed gun. "I still don't know my way around this place, so I'll just scree what they're doing." Relena said cheerfully.  
  
Duo took a small step back from her. Quatre, visibly irritated, crossed his arms.  
  
"Who first... Yes, Mercury should be easy to find..." Relena shifted her hands and an image appeared on the wall. Mercury was looking through a small pile of books. Suddenly, she picked up a book and smile brightly. Turning around, she tapped something into a small laptop next to her. "Yes, doing research. She seemed so fascinated with our dark energy, when we told her she could study it..." Relena trailed off, smiling.  
  
"Well, who next?" She continued as Mercury's image faded away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Quatre drop his arms and look away. "Ah, yes what about Laytha?" Holding up her hands again, another image appeared on the wall. This time, three people were in the picture. A woman with green hair was painting her toenails a deep green color and talking excitedly to two others. Wufei turned his back to the picture and folded his arms. Trowa's shoulders dropped as her stared. Mars and Laytha were both in chairs across from the woman, Mars blowing on her crimson nails, and Laytha carefully applying a coat of silver to hers. Both were laughing with the woman.  
  
Relena dropped her hands and the image faded. "That reminds me..." She inspected her own nails. "I have to repaint mine. Anyway, who next?" She looked at the ceiling in thought. "Oh, why not Jupiter? Heero, pay special attention..." Relena once again lifted her hands and this time, the image appeared quickly. It was Jupiter, sitting in a sparkling green gown at a small table. Two candles were lit and the table was set for two. A man returned and sat on the opposite side of her. The man had flaming red hair and was smiling slyly at Jupiter who returned the smile. She lifted her wine glass. The man touched it to hers and they each took a sip.  
  
Relena saw Heero's face drop for a second before he regained his mask of emotionless features. She let the image fade. "Now who are we missing? Oh, yes, Venus. I hope she doesn't mind if we take a peek..."  
  
Another picture formed on the wall, showing a plain, gray room, with a wide bed set in the middle. Two figures lay in the bed. Tousled blonde hair lay across the pillow, and the man moved slightly, pulling his arms tighter around Venus. She didn't stir. Duo turned. He didn't want to see the two piles of clothes on either side of the bed. "No..." He whispered.  
  
"Oh, were you two together?" Relena asked in ignorance. In the proceeding silence, she got the answer. "Oh...Well, I didn't mean to shatter anyone's ice, just show you what they've been doing for the past..." She looked up, remembering the time. "Hour."  
  
"It's not true." Duo said shortly.  
  
Relena frowned. "Are you calling me a liar?"  
  
Duo turned to face her. "I guess I am."  
  
Relena snorted. "Well, then just come with me, buddy, I'll show you just how true it is. Hope Venus doesn't mind if we pay her a visit." She marched from the room, with the boys a few steps behind her. Heero played the scene over in his head. (Could they have really betrayed us? Why?) He frowned and silently followed Relena's clicking.  
  
They came to a small and Relena cautiously opened it. "Be quiet, they're sleeping." Relena whispered over her shoulder. She moved inside and the boys slowly followed. Duo stared in disbelief at the bed in the middle of the room. One of the figures moved and a man with black blue hair lifted his head and stared accusingly at Relena. She jerked her head at Duo, pointed at Venus, lying in the bed, and touched her heart, batting her eyes at the ceiling.  
  
The man sneered at Duo. Duo looked away, beaten. The man snorted softly and jerked his head at the door. Relena stuck her tongue out at him and led the boys away. Once they were outside, Relena carefully closed the door.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"What do you mean, well?" Wufei condemned quietly.  
  
Relena rolled her eyes. "Well, are you going to leave now, or can we put you guys on our guest list too?" Her eyes glanced at Heero. "Except for you, Heero, you get to stay here no matter what." Quick as lightning, she whipped Heero over to her and wrapped her arms around him. He tried to pull away, but she held him fast. She looked over at the others. "So, you can either go back to that little White Crystal Palace, and be eventually destroyed, or stay here and live in luxury for the rest of your lives. Hmmm. Tough decision."  
  
The silence drew out. Soft footsteps echoed down the hall. "Relena, do not pester our guests." A man with white hair chuckled deeply.  
  
Relena turned to him, Heero still locked in her arms. "Lord Diamond. Meet Heero." She pulled Heero's head closer to her own. Heero wrinkled his nose. "And these are those other boys in the Gundams." She waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the others.  
  
Diamond smiled brightly. "Well, it is a pleasure. I trust Relena has not bored you all to death?" He looked around the blank faces and turned back to Relena. "Dear Relena, what did you do?"  
  
Relena rolled her eyes. "I just showed them what the Scouts have been doing." She leaned closer to Diamond, as if sharing a secret. "I think they were in love or something..."  
  
Diamond smiled and shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. I'm afraid Venus and Jupiter are, well, taken, but the other girls are still free if you wish to..." He trailed off with suggestion.  
  
The following silence left what he had said unanswered. Diamond shrugged his shoulders. "So, I assume you do not wish to join our forces?" Five forceful 'no's met his question. Diamond held up his hands. "Then I guess you all must be imprisoned."  
  
Relena suddenly stepped beside him, pulling Heero along next to her, and a band of youmas dropped down from the ceiling. Finally finding his head, Heero elbowed Relena hard in the stomach and pulled out his gun. The hall was suddenly ringing with gunfire. A ring of youmas went down and several more dropped from the ceiling.  
  
Relena growled and kicked at Heero. Dodging her easily, he stepped back and felt something like an iron bar wrap around his neck. Looking to the side, he saw Diamond's white hair behind him, then he felt a stab in his side, and everything went black.  
  
Isn't that a pretty little cliffy? I know this is a little short, but I need to get back to my homework before I forget. Anyway, hope you like this! R&R 'kay?!! 


	31. Gotta escape!

Chapter 31: Gotta escape!  
  
Hey! Here's that new chapter I promised! Sorry about the cliffy last time... Well, here's the rest!  
  
Trowa's P.O.V.  
  
When the youmas dropped down from the roof, Trowa knew they couldn't win. (Even with these new guns, we don't stand a chance against this many.) Even so, Trowa pulled out his gun and fired at as many as he could see. Quatre, Duo and Wufei were backed into a tight circle and the dead youmas around them seemed to be replaced by dozens more. (Where are they coming from?!) Trowa thought frantically as another army dropped from the ceiling.  
  
He gasped as a sharp pain in his side made him almost drop the gun. Trowa spun around to see Duo in the grips of a youma, apparently passed out. Just as everything went blurry, Trowa shot that youma in particular, one clean shot through the head. Then, he collapsed.  
  
When Heero opened his eyes, it was still dark. Something glowed above him. Two neon green orbs. He reached up and felt something take his hand.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
The voice was familiar. Heero frowned and stared hard. Then it came to him. "Jupiter?!"  
  
"Is he awake?" A pair of cerulean orbs turned his way. (Venus.)  
  
"Sounds like it." Red lights responded. (Mars.) Heero almost smiled.  
  
He realized suddenly he was on his back. Leaning up, with the help of a pair of hands, he looked around, his eyes adjusting slowly to the almost pitch black of the small room. Mars was in the corner with Wufei, still in his white coat, in her lap. Mercury was a few feet away, holding Quatre's head as he stirred gently. Laytha leaned over and kissed Trowa's head softly. He made a small sound and she smiled. Duo sat alone in the corner opposite of Mars, staring at the wall. Heero looked up at Jupiter, who smiled sadly down on him.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" Heero asked dully.  
  
"Probably the same reason as you." Jupiter looked up at the looming door a few feet away.  
  
Wufei coughed from his corner and sat up. "Where-"  
  
Mars put her finger against his lips. "Be quiet now. You were pretty beat up. You need to rest."  
  
Wufei snorted at her and stood up. "Get away from me onna."  
  
Mars swelled with anger and stood up to face him. "What's your problem? Just because you were beat-"  
  
"It's not that." Duo interrupted from his corner. "We saw what you've been doing."  
  
"We haven't really been doing that much." Mercury whispered, confused.  
  
"Really?" Trowa said sarcastically and rose from Laytha's lap.  
  
Heero rose and walked towards the door. "We came to help you, but apparently you didn't need much help. We met Relena. She showed us what you were doing all this time." Heero spat, losing his composure for a moment.  
  
Quatre suddenly moved and rolled away from Mercury. "Yes we saw. Traitors." Mercury recoiled as though he had kicked her.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Yeah, what do you mean?" Mars hissed angrily at Quatre, sending her words through Wufei.  
  
Wufei put his face inches from hers and growled, "Relena showed us how good of a time you were having," He turned his back to her. "Painting your nails."  
  
"Painting her nails?" Laytha almost laughed.  
  
Trowa turned to her. "You were there as well."  
  
Mars let one laugh escape through her nose, then quieted. "You think we were painting our nails? At a time like this?"  
  
Wufei turned on her. "We saw you."  
  
"Where?" Jupiter challenged.  
  
"Relena showed us." Wufei said, just before realizing how foolish that sounded.  
  
Mars shook her head. "You actually believed her."  
  
"She showed us where Venus was, and then she took her there and showed us in person. She was right." Duo almost snarled.  
  
"She was with some man with dark hair, right?" Mercury asked.  
  
Duo looked at her. "Yeah."  
  
Jupiter shook her head. "Well, listen up, all of you. Here is what happened. I can probably guess what Relena showed you of us, but I don't really want to know. We got into this place easy enough, and found the crystal room, but when we got inside, we were attacked. Before they put us out, that dark-haired creep, Sapphire, said enough to inform us that he has a pretty major crush on Venus. Something in this stuff they injected us with almost complete drains our powers, except for the basics."  
  
"We were out for a little bit, and then we woke up in this room." Mars finished.  
  
Wufei turned to her. "How do we know you aren't lying to throw us off guard?"  
  
Mars rolled her eyes and held up her hand. "Wufei I haven't painted my nails since we left your time. Does this look like I just painted them?" Wufei's eyes looked over chipped red nails, then looked over at Laytha.  
  
She held up her hand. "I don't like to paint my nails. Polish is too distracting when you're doing stunts."  
  
Duo uncrossed his arms and looked over. "So Venus didn't really sleep with that guy?"  
  
Mercury took off her glasses. "What do you think?"  
  
"You've been in this room the whole hour?" Heero asked dubiously from next to the door.  
  
"Hour?!" The girls yelled in unison.  
  
"Has it really been that long?" Laytha said, amazed.  
  
"It only felt like twenty minutes." Jupiter muttered.  
  
Heero exhaled. "You were probably out for longer than you thought." He dropped his head. "Do you have a plan?"  
  
"Do you have anything the others may have given you?" Mercury asked hopefully. The boys checked their pockets for the guns, but shook their heads as they came up empty.  
  
"Wait." Wufei said. He pulled his katana from inside his long coat. "They didn't find this."  
  
Mercury came up to him and inspected the blade. "She put power into here." She frowned. "A lot of power. Definitely enough to slice through that door."  
  
Everyone stood up and concealed their excitement. Heero leaned against the door and motioned for them to be quiet. "Someone's coming."  
  
After a few minutes, he nodded and Wufei approached the door as Heero backed up a couple steps.  
  
Wufei gripped the katana and thrust it into the wall with a terse grunt. The blade slid through easily. Changing his grip, he pulled it upwards and a streak of light shone through. With two more deft movements, a small square fell through, quickly caught by Wufei, before it made a sound.  
  
Once the group was outside, Mars gasped. "I remember this hallway.it was the one just a little bit away from the entrance." She whispered.  
  
"Yes, there's the corner we were at when we saw Relena." Quatre added.  
  
"That would mean the room is this way." Duo said shortly heading down the hall.  
  
"Wait!" Jupiter hissed as loud as she dared. "We can't face Sapphire like this! We're unarmed, and powerless. Venus showed us where she saw their armory. We can look for your weapons there." Jupiter led the way and soon stopped in front of a large door. She put her cheek to it and listened inside. "I don't hear anything, but be quiet, just in case."  
  
The others nodded and followed her inside. Fortunately, the armory was not guarded, save for a few sleeping youmas, who were disposed of by a few well-placed kicks. Finding the boys' guns easily, they continued down the hall.  
  
Soon, soft cries were heard echoing in the hall. "Get.no.that.ow.don't."  
  
Duo gasped. "It's Venus!" He murmured audibly.  
  
Mars glared at him. "Shut up!" She hissed.  
  
Picking up their pace, they reached the door the boys remembered Venus to be behind. The cries were very clear now. "Get off, asshole! Ouch! I mean it!" There was a loud thump, and a man cursed.  
  
"Dammit! That hurt!"  
  
"It was supposed to!"  
  
A malicious laugh resounded from inside. "Watch it, Venus. The sheet is slipping." The sound of tearing cloth reached Duo's ears. He growled and kicked open the door.  
  
"Get off, asshole!"  
  
Sapphire jumped back in surprise and pulled a portion of the sheet around his waist. "Do you mind we're trying to have a private conversation here." He growled.  
  
"Duo." Venus gasped from the bed, holding a torn white blanket around her.  
  
Duo climbed over the bed to her, gun still trained on Sapphire. Jupiter moved at the door, but Trowa stopped her. "This is his fight now, let him take care of it." He muttered.  
  
Silence filled the room. Sapphire began to chuckle softly. "Do you think you can hurt me with that toy? Get off of my woman, boy. We're busy at the moment."  
  
"I'm not your woman!" Venus shrieked and flinched away at the sound of her own voice.  
  
Duo pulled her closer. "She's right. Now get out before I kill you." He said coldly.  
  
"Me?! Get out?!" Sapphire barked. "Don't make me laugh! I'll kill you, boy!" With that, Sapphire pulled power and lunged at Duo. A single gunshot rang through the air. Sapphire dropped like a stone. Scarlet blood flooded through the fresh hole in his head.  
  
Venus grunted softly and kicked a small heap of torn blankets over his body. Duo, as if coming out of a trance, shook himself and looked around. The others were watching him through the open door. Duo blinked slowly and offered a half-hearted grin to Venus. She returned it and squeezed his hand.  
  
"Let's finish this mission."  
  
Duo smiled, pulled his arms under her legs and lifted her off the bed. The pile of clothes next to the bed proved to be ripped and torn apart. Wufei hesitated and offered his jacket. Venus smiled shyly and took it.  
  
The group slowly made their way to the crystal room, this time, with guns drawn, and when they got there, the Scouts stopped the boys from opening the door.  
  
"We were ambushed last time." Jupiter shifted from side to side in uncertainty.  
  
Heero nodded and pulled out his second gun and handed it to Jupiter. "Use it if necessary." Jupiter nodded and clicked the safety off.  
  
After pushing the door open and a very tense search of the room, the boys concluded it was empty. Stepping slowly inside, Laytha shut the door behind them with a gentle push.  
  
With another quick inspection, the boys and Jupiter nodded to Venus. She nodded back and stepped up to the tile she remembered. She held her hands out and pulled up the stored black energy orb mercury had given her. She felt the heat between her hands drain away and the tile opened up. It raised out of the floor and a split appeared, dividing the tile in half, and giving away to a small chip, the size of a credit card, but pulsing with black energy.  
  
Mercury stepped up. "Now if they were smart, they would have offered our stolen power to the chip to give to the crystal. I could probably hack into the chip and release our own powers, and perhaps, when we escape, the rest of the energy in it."  
  
She pulled out her pocket laptop and took the chip from Venus. She held it in front of the laptop and typed hurriedly with her other hand. She looked up at the others. "Get ready to feel a surge of power coming towards you; I'm about to release our energy." The Scouts nodded and braced themselves.  
  
As Mercury said, a surge of energy filled each of the Scouts' insides and they stumbled back a few steps. Mercury shut her laptop and rubbed her eyes. "Alright. Let's take this thing and go." She handed the chip back to Venus, who slipped it inside Wufei's coat.  
  
They left quickly and were particularly careful in the halls now that they not only had killed Sapphire, but had a literal beacon of dark energy walking around with them. They were just a few turns away from the exit and Trowa noticed a clicking noise.  
  
"Relena's close."  
  
"Hn." Heero nodded to him and drew closer to Jupiter.  
  
Sure enough, Relena was waiting for them around the next corner. "Well," She spat. "Isn't this a nice sight. Heero, what are you doing with her?"  
  
Heero pulled his gun out. "Leaving."  
  
Relena's eyes suddenly turned pleading. "Please, Heero. I don't want to see you destroyed with the rest of this trash. Please, come back to me." She held out her hands and looked at him with praying eyes. "Please."  
  
Heero held up his gun and took aim. "Move. Now."  
  
Relena's demeanor changed drastically. "Heero. You traitor. You know you'll be destroyed, and yet you choose her over me." He hands clutched at her sides. "Well, if I can't have you." She gritted her teeth and looked up at him. "Then nobody will." At that moment, energy balls appeared in her hands and she lifted one to strike Heero.  
  
Before the gunshot ever reached her ears, she dropped to the ground, dead not by a bullet, but by a lightning shock. Jupiter dropped her hand and looked at Heero. "Finally."  
  
Heero smiled his rare, but distant smile. "Hn."  
  
Jupiter leaned her head against his. "It's not polite to grunt."  
  
"Hn."  
  
A dramatic sigh came from behind them. They turned to see Mars with her hands on her hips, looking slightly impatient. "I've spent too much time in this hell-hole as it is. Can we please move on?"  
  
After a moment of silence, everyone laughed. Even Heero.  
  
The group got out easily after that last encounter, and they didn't meet any youmas or a single mobile suit.  
  
When they arrived at the palace, the group found five relieved Outer Scouts, one worn-out queen, and a very sulky Zechs.  
  
"He is still mad he didn't get to go." Pluto teased. Zechs simply smiled softly and shook his head.  
  
Serenity sighed heavily and stood up amid the laughter. "Scouts.and others.our war is only half over. The enemy is still here." She looked around at the now-fallen faces. "But tonight, you have earned a long rest. I will take the chip and see what energy from it I can destroy. Now, go get some rest. You will need it tomorrow."  
  
The Scouts and boys said goodnight and walked slowly to their rooms. Wufei let Mars in his room, not bothering with appearances anymore. Mars tossed a small fireball into the fireplace and the logs were soon burning brightly.  
  
They sat down together in front of it and Mars leaned on Wufei's shoulder. "I can't believe you fell for Relena's tricks." She teased.  
  
Wufei glowered down at her for a moment, then softened. "I should have seen through it."  
  
Mars nuzzled his bare shoulder then realized he was still in his blue tank top and pants. "You never got your jacket back from Venus."  
  
"I'll get it tomorrow." He looked over at Mars and loosened. "Mars."  
  
She looked up at him. "Yes?"  
  
"Everything is perfect."  
  
Mars sighed gently. "I know."  
  
Mars felt herself being pulled into his large, onyx eyes and felt her face inching closer. Abruptly, he put his hand on the back of her head and pulled Mars into a powerful kiss. Mars twisted her body and pulled her arms around his thin, but firm shoulders. She felt herself leaning forward too far and Wufei landed with a small thump on his back. But the kiss was endless, and they stayed locked together until a long creak at the door a few muffled giggles brought their attention elsewhere. Mars lifted her lips from his with a slight suction sound and looked up.  
  
Venus stood in the doorway with Wufei's coat in hand, and Duo looked over her shoulder at the pair on the floor.  
  
Mars sat back on her heels and Wufei quickly sat up. Both were blushing furiously. Venus smiled slyly. "Well, you two sure move fast." She set the white jacket on the chair by the door. "Hey, I brought your coat back, though you probably won't need it with the heat in this room." A small fireball flickered her way, but she dodged it easily.  
  
She giggled again and moved back out to the hall. Duo grinned mischievously at Wufei. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."  
  
"Go back to your own room, baka." Wufei's eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps you will be going to Venus's."  
  
Duo shrugged. "Hey, at least I admit it." His voice died as he hurried down the hall to avoid another insult.  
  
Wufei shook his head as he closed the door, and latched it this time. He sat down next to Mars. She yawned and covered her mouth not quite fast enough to hide it.  
  
"You're tired." Wufei observed.  
  
"I know." Mars said vaguely as she drifted off in his arms.  
  
So, how was that!! Kind of longer than my last one. But I hope put enough action and romance in this one! Well, R&R. Bye. 


	32. The final plan

Chapter 32: The final plan  
  
Hey, hey! This author's note is going to be a bit long because I should probably explain a few things. First, for those who didn't get the last scene (the images on the wall), let me explain. They guys were upset over what Relena showed them, not because of the painting nails thing, but that the girls were 'consorting with the enemy' as Heero would put it. They thought the girls had betrayed them. Next, I'm sorry I haven't given all the couples their deserved spotlight time, but Duo/Venus and Wufei/Mars happen to be my favorite pairs. Anyway, each of the under appreciated pairs will get the spotlight for a while here. Well, here is my new chapter!  
  
Mercury P.O.V.  
  
Mercury sat in the lab until late in the night, wondering about the chip. Serenity had taken it to give the Scouts some rest, but Mercury couldn't help feeling tense. (Something bad is going to come out of that chip. I know it.) She swiveled in her chair at a light tap on her shoulder. Quatre stood behind her with a steaming mug in his hands.  
  
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked softly.  
  
Mercury shook her head. "No. I can't stop thinking about that chip."  
  
Quatre held the cup out to her. "Drink some. It helps."  
  
Mercury smiled up at him and took it. Looking down into it, she let the vapors warm her face. "Hot chocolate. Thanks." She tilted the mug up and took a long sip. She smiled again and handed it back to him.  
  
Quatre smiled back and sat down in the chair next to her. They sat in the feathery silence of the lab. Quatre closed his eyes and sighed, making the steam from the cup blow away momentarily. "What will happen?"  
  
Mercury looked over at him. "To what?"  
  
"With everything." He leaned his head back and looked at the high ceiling. "This chip, this kingdom, the others, us." His eyes dropped down to his cup.  
  
Mercury smiled softly. "What happens, happens." She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. "That's the way it always goes. It's the enemy's turn." She sighed, which worked its way into a yawn. "They will probably attack tomorrow. But without their crystal, they are powerless." She closed her eyes. "Well, maybe not powerless. The chip might not control the power for the crystal. If I had to guess, it only regulates power coming and going..." She yawned again and wrapped her arms around Quatre, who brushed her hair back in a slow, steady movement. "Either way," She continued. "The crystal is unlikely to be able to do anything without it..." She drifted off, and finally fell into sleep.  
  
Quatre smiled and put his chin on her head. "Good night..."  
  
Jupiter P.O.V.  
  
Heero and Jupiter laid on their backs, staring up at Heero's ceiling. Heero blinked slowly. "17."  
  
Jupiter looked over at him. "Really? I could have sworn you were around 16, or even 15. Maybe it's because you're so thin..." She poked him playfully in the ribs.  
  
Heero caught her hand and squeezed it. "Hn."  
  
Jupiter rolled her eyes and looked back up at the ceiling. "How can you take it?" She asked after a moment.  
  
"The killing?" Heero asked.  
  
Jupiter nodded. "With us, our enemies are always clear cut, they are plain evil, come to our planet to either destroy us, or our people. But you, you fight other humans." Her eyes drifted. "For you, evil isn't so plain cut..."  
  
"Where we come from, beings from other planets don't come down and try to destroy us. We may not be fighting pure evil, but for me, anyone who stands before me with a desire to fight is my enemy. Those who try to take my life are my enemies. Those who toy with my life are my enemies." Heero looked away.  
  
"So when we fight in the training room, am I an enemy?" Jupiter rolled over and put her head on his chest.  
  
He looked down on her. "No. When we fight there, it is training. Not battle."  
  
Jupiter smiled. She pulled her head up and kissed his neck. She suddenly giggled. "You are just so thin..."  
  
Heero smiled barely. "Hn."  
  
Jupiter rolled her eyes. "I'll get some weight on you eventually." With that, she pulled his chin down and kissed him for a long moment.  
  
When they separated, Heero's mask dropped for a second, and Jupiter saw something too quick to identify it. She smiled again and leaned her head back on his chest. She almost laughed to feel his heart beating wildly against his ribs. Leaning up over him, she pulled her face inches from his and breathed slowly, one hand over his now frantic heart, the other on his shoulder. "Heero Yuy, you had better get control over your heart beat. Someone might actually think you were happy." Her coy smile was suddenly cut off as Heero leaned forward and stopped thinking so much.  
  
A few hours later~~~ Trowa P.O.V.  
  
Trowa awoke at what would have been dawn, except the dark clouds that had been present ever since they came back, were blocking the sun. Looking down at Laytha sleeping soundly next to him, Trowa smiled. (Once there is peace...) His mind trailed off suggestively as he pulled on his clothes. (We just talked and slept.) He reminded himself sternly, but he couldn't help blushing in the dark.  
  
He heard stirring behind him and turned to see Laytha brushing out her wavy red hair. "Morning." She said over her shoulder, before pulling on a long t-shirt. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Trowa looked at her and smiled.  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
Laytha nodded fervently and took his arm to help her up. Then, without warning, she pulled his head down and kissed him. "Yeah. We have a big day today; let's have breakfast." She pulled Trowa along with her, while he touched his tingling lips and smiled.  
  
A little bit later~~~  
  
The Scouts and boys went to Serenity after breakfast, to see what the plan was with the chip. Serenity nodded and greeted them all. "Now, as for the chip, I managed to get all the dark energy out of it and disassemble it enough that they won't be able to put it back together in weeks. But we won't give them a few weeks. Once they figure out we have destroyed two of their people, and have taken the chip, they'll mount an attack. They will most likely pull out all their forces to destroy us before we can get into their core. Boys-" Zechs cleared his throat audibly. Serenity smiled. "And men. You will work your way in from the front, destroying anything you come across. You will focus on mobile suits, but anything else you see is good. The majority of youmas would be destroyed by now, so that would leave ships and the remainder of their officers. Relena is the only one that gave us real trouble, and she's gone, so they shouldn't be much of a problem. Scouts, you will pull an attack on the crystal itself. You'll work your way in-"  
  
"Wait, the girls are going into the middle of the enemy force?" Heero tensed. "That would be-"  
  
"Dangerous?" Jupiter finished. She smiled and shook her head. "We've been in worse. Don't worry about us. Just concentrate on your mission."  
  
Serenity nodded. "Yes. Jupiter's right. Just concentrate on your part. Now Scouts, once you get to the heart, destroy as much as you can, but the second you get a free chance, get a planet attack with the Scouts near you. Don't all of you group together; that will make you an easy target. Anyway, break down the crystal as much as you can, but don't launch a direct attack on the energy crystal. It would be fine if you just glance it, but take care of everything else, before you take that down."  
  
"But if the crystal is their source of power, why shouldn't it be destroyed?" Zechs asked, crossing his arms.  
  
"Because," Mercury answered. "The energy in that crystal is enough to wipe out the entire kingdom. If we were to unleash it without restraint..." She looked away.  
  
The others nodded. "Looks like that's the plan." Venus stood up and smoothed her uniform. "Should we wait for them?"  
  
"If it is possible to fight the enemy closer to their base, it is always better." Heero closed his eyes and straightened.  
  
"Especially if we have allies entering enemy territory." Wufei added.  
  
"Then it's settled." Uranus pronounced.  
  
"Let's go. They could already be mobilizing." Saturn said in her small voice.  
  
Serenity nodded them farewells. "Good luck."  
  
Ten minutes later, ten Scouts stood scattered across various buildings, and six Gundams stood across the streets.  
  
"Where are they?" Venus wondered aloud.  
  
"Maybe they are trying to lure us in." Trowa suggested.  
  
"Well, then we should go meet them." Mars said gravely, before leaping off a few more rooftops towards the dark crystal. The others cautiously followed. Mars stopped, sighting something a few roofs away.  
  
"It's Diamond." Venus spat.  
  
"And Emerald, and Rubius." Laytha observed.  
  
Diamond's voice carried over the short distance. "I believe you have something that belongs to us."  
  
"We want the chip back!" Emerald shouted.  
  
"And you will pay dearly for what you did to Sapphire and Relena!" Rubius continued.  
  
"What you didn't bother to make a spare chip?" Rini mocked.  
  
"And Relena and Sapphire had it coming to them!" Jupiter yelled.  
  
"Just as you have this coming to you!" Mars yelled, gathering energy.  
  
He he he... Nice place to leave off don't you think... Well, I know this is really short but I really have to think about what's going to happen next. Like I promised, all the other couples got some time to themselves. Sorry Trowa was a little cut short, but they just are a little hard to write for... Oh, and just letting you all know, I have a feeling this story is nearing its end. Or maybe not, I might add a new twist in the next few chapters. Anyway, R&R, 'kay! 


	33. Almost there

Chapter 33: Almost there  
  
Hi! I'm forcing this chapter out of my head, so sorry if it isn't the best. Well, read on...if you dare...  
  
Pluto P.O.V.  
  
The second Mars released her energy ball, Pluto knew something was off. The way Diamond didn't even flinch at the power speeding towards him, while his two friends dodged away quickly, there was something missing. Snapping back to reality, Pluto heard Emerald shriek.  
  
"Diamond!"  
  
He didn't even look up. Pluto could have sworn time slowed down as she saw the fireball move steadily towards Diamond, and saw Emerald throw herself in front of it. Then time sped up again, and Emerald's fragments of darkness flew around Diamond in a cloud. Rubius's gasp was audible to even Pluto, several rooftops away.  
  
"How could she, how?" Rubius dropped to his knees. "Diamond, why didn't you move? Why did you let her sacrifice herself to save you?"  
  
Diamond looked at Rubius on his knees, staring at the few fragments of darkness in front of him. Diamond's low chuckle developed into a laugh and he threw back his head and yelled to the cloudy sky. "Sacrifice? Who cared about her?" Still smiling, Diamond lowered his head and looked at disbelieving Rubius.  
  
"You can't mean that..."  
  
A sneer crossed Diamond's face. "And who cares about you either?"  
  
Rubius opened his mouth, but a cloud of energy enveloped him, before he could say anything.  
  
The Scouts and Gundams stood, incredulous at what had happened.  
  
"He destroyed his own people..." Duo murmured.  
  
"He's still the enemy. Why are we standing here?" Heero asked heatedly.  
  
"Inners, stay with me and help take care of Diamond." Jupiter commanded into the others' minds. "Outers, go with the Gundams and start tearing down that crystal." Nodding to each other, Venus, Laytha, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury jumped onto the same roof as Diamond, keeping a safe distance while the others bounded around them towards the dark spike rising against the gray sky. The boys piloted their Gundams that way as well, moving slightly slower than the quick Scouts, leaping from roof to roof.  
  
Pluto looked up at the burgundy Gundam next to her. She smiled to herself thinking of how this must have been how Zechs started all their mobile suit battles. (Find the enemy and destroy them.) Pluto thought.  
  
Laytha P.O.V.  
  
After the others were well out of sight, the Inners turned their full attention to Diamond, who hadn't even moved.  
  
His smug smile was still in place as he opened his arms, as if to welcome them. "Well, isn't this a bit unfair? Five to one, hardly favorable odds."  
  
"Especially when they're against you." Mars hissed.  
  
"Before we destroy you, we just want to know one thing." Venus crossed her arms. Diamond looked over at her, his smirk unwavering. "Why destroy this planet?" She continued.  
  
Once again, Diamond's low chuckle reached their ears. "I really don't think that's any of your business."  
  
Laytha frowned. (What is he not telling...) Laytha pulled a low level of her power an opened his mind slightly, so slightly he shouldn't even notice. Laytha closed her eyes. (There's someone else. Someone more powerful. Diamond is...) Without realizing it, Laytha opened up Diamond's mind too far, and he sensed it.  
  
Luckily, Laytha sensed his energy ball before her threw it and she ducked out of its way just in time. (He knows I know about him!) Dashing out of the path of another attack, she called out. "Scouts! Diamond's a decoy! The others are in danger from the real threat!"  
  
"SILENCE!" Another ball whizzed by Laytha's head, punctuating Diamond's shout.  
  
Jupiter turned to the rest of the Inners. "Concentrate an attack on him! We can't waste a planet attack!" With that, Jupiter pulled up her thunder blast. Laytha, busy dodging energy, couldn't pull energy of her own, but watched as the others called their powers.  
  
A fiery arrow appeared in Mars's hands; a cloud of crystalline ice crystals swirled around Mercury; the familiar golden crescent appeared above Venus's head and glowed with her power; and a ring of thunder crackled and sparkled around Jupiter. Diamond, realizing the power behind him, stopped his barrage and turned, giving Laytha enough time to form her cloudy gray 'mind blast' orb between her outstretched hands.  
  
Diamond's cry cut through the air, as Mercury raised her hands for the first attack. "You can't do this to me!"  
  
Ice pearls circled Mercury's body and centered in her hands. Flinging them down, they flew in a wave at Diamond, hitting him square in the chest, and knocking him down. As he stumbled up onto one knee, Mars stepped forward.  
  
Pulling the flaming bow and arrow taut, she carefully centered on Diamond's form. He finally staggered to his feet as Mars unleashed her single arrow. It spun towards him and hit Diamond in the shoulder, knocking him several feet towards Laytha.  
  
Satisfied with her energy ball, Laytha raised it to her cheek and pitched it at Diamond. This time, he almost dodged it, but it caught him in the leg, and sent him spinning towards Venus. "You, you disgusting..." Diamond hissed.  
  
Venus ignored him and thrust her hand into the crescent hanging faithfully above her head. It dissipated, and a golden energy blast issued in the direction of Diamond. He covered his face with his hands, but the blast shattered a second before it collided and hit him from all sides.  
  
Visibly beaten, Diamond screamed at the Scouts. "You Sailor brats! I will take you with me to the grave if I have to!!" He raised his hands above his head, and a sphere of writhing darkness appeared there.  
  
Jupiter stepped forward, the surrounding energy moving with her. "You wish." With that, she yanked her energy up and thrust it at Diamond. His gasp was almost heard through the roar of the thunder, and the black energy ball disappeared. Dust and dirt flew up, obscuring the scene for a few moments.  
  
When it finally settled, the Scouts saw what they knew; all that remained of Diamond were a few shards of shadowed energy. After a few lasers from Venus, not even that remained.  
  
"Hey!!" Jupiter yelled, looking towards the crystal behind them.  
  
The others looked that way and gasped in unison. "Where did the others go?" Mercury whispered.  
  
"Geez, how can you just lose a Gundam? Five of them, at that..." Venus murmured.  
  
"We have to go find them. They could be in trouble." Mars jumped several rooftops ahead, closely followed by the others.  
  
Rini P.O.V.  
  
Just as Jupiter commanded, Rini and the outers leapt from the rooftops towards the dark crystal. The heavy Gundams crashed behind them with their loud footsteps no doubt making craters in the streets.  
  
Glancing backwards she saw Uranus, Neptune and Saturn all keeping pace with her, while Pluto held behind a bit, leaping next to the burgundy Gundam Zechs was in. Rini smiled and turned her attention back to in front of her.  
  
Finally, they made it to the last rooftop in front of the crystal. Rini hesitated. (Something is about to happen.) She shook her head and jumped forward. (Of course something is about to happen. We are right in front of the enemy.) Suddenly, as though they had entered a portal, the rooftop in front of her vanished, leaving Rini and the others to land unsteadily on what appeared to be a dark marble floor.  
  
Around the huge platform they were on, rose ten columns, made of the same dark marble of the tiled floor. Beyond the columns swirled a continuous mass of quivering and shifting dark energy. Rini turned to see Uranus, Neptune and Saturn dusting themselves off from the same unexpected drop she had gotten.  
  
Rini looked around as she heard the faint rumble of the Gundams. Suddenly, the five boys, Zechs, and Pluto dropped down from high in the wall of energy. Neptune ran up and caught Quatre, Uranus got Heero, Saturn almost fell under Trowa, and Duo nearly crushed Rini. Pluto awkwardly caught Zechs and Wufei, one in each arm, keeping them from the painful drop.  
  
"Sorry, Rini..." Duo apologized, pulling her up.  
  
"I'm alright..." She said, rubbing her head.  
  
"This doesn't look like the inside of the crystal." Quatre observed, looking around after Neptune set him down.  
  
"This isn't the inside of the crystal. We're in-between." Everyone looked at Pluto. "The put a portal barrier around their crystal."  
  
"They knew we would come." Heero frowned and looked at the wall of energy.  
  
"Of course I did." A deep, rumbling voice echoed through the space. "And I also knew your little friends would be back dealing with Diamond." The voice cackled wildly.  
  
"Show yourself, coward!" Wufei yelled to the walls.  
  
"Oh, but I am no coward, boy. I am right here." A piece of darkness formed out of the wall and took shape. It developed into a man covered in a shroud. Only his hands were exposed, which seemed to be made of the floating black material of the walls. Beneath the hood, his eyes burned like fires set in the same black material.  
  
A low growl emitted from the creature. "Well, it seems your little friends are stronger than I thought. No matter." They could almost see his sinister smile. "I will deal with them as well."  
  
"Who are you?!" Rini yelled, suddenly filled with anger.  
  
Another cackle split through the group. "My minions call me Wise Man. Hmmm. We do have company."  
  
The Scouts and boys spun around to see the Inners dropping in from the wall. All five of the girls seemed to sigh with relief. Venus pulled Duo over and gave him a crushing hug. She whispered into his ear. "Laytha saw in Diamond's mind that someone more powerful was down here waiting for you guys." She pulled away and looked up at Wise Man.  
  
"So you must be the one controlling Diamond." Mars crossed her arms.  
  
"Or was controlling him, rather." Mercury corrected.  
  
Wise Man laughed down on them all. "Yes he was my pawn. But enough of this small talk." Holding his hands out, a small ball appeared.  
  
The Scouts stepped forward and pushed the boys forcefully behind them. "You won't get us." Mars hissed. Wufei looked at her. He pulled out his katana. Just in case.  
  
So... How did you like it? Like I said, it isn't the best, but maybe that fight with Diamond is better than I think. You are your own worst critic... Anyway, R&R me!!! 


	34. The final battle

Chapter 34: The final battle  
  
Yep, this chapter is indeed the final battle. The showdown between good and evil, as cliché as that sounds. Anyway, here it is!  
  
Mercury P.O.V.  
  
Mercury looked from left to right at the soldiers standing around her, ready to fight. (So this is it. We are all ready to fight.) She assumed her stance along with the others. She glanced to her left and almost smiled to see Quatre with his gun out and ready, as unmoving as any of the Scouts.  
  
A long moment passed, and neither side seemed willing to strike the first blow. Wise Man's unnerving laugh cut the silence. "What? Are children afraid? Very well. I shall be the first to attack!" With that, he raised his robed arms and two balls of energy appeared on either side of him. Mercury braced herself for the massive power flowing into either of the balls. (So much power... Is he getting it from the crystal?) But she didn't have anymore time to think. At that moment, the two orbs took on human figures and flew at them.  
  
The Scouts dodged easily, and the boys fired several rounds at one of the figures. Wise Man growled as his two subordinates jerked dangerously at the bullets. "So you have some surprises... Well, now you have me to contend with!" Raising more energy, he hurled it at the group, narrowly missing his own creatures. Mercury jumped out of the way quick enough, but the blast had hit Neptune almost head on.  
  
"Neptune!" She heard Uranus cry, rushing to her friend's side. "You'll pay!" She shrieked, and pulled her attack.  
  
But she wasn't fast enough. In a bare second, she was knocked out as well by another attack. By now, the Scouts were on the other side of Wise Man gathering power, while the boys put everything they had to the two creatures to keep them out of the way.  
  
Turning swiftly, Wise Man found himself thrown back to the energy wall by a number of assaults. He roared in anger and roared yanked up a massive from the dark crystal he felt below him. Blasting the black blue sphere towards the Scouts, he sneered to see the two youngest go down under it, and another, Mars thrown to the wall with a sharp cry.  
  
Wufei, behind Wise Man, battling his minions saw Mars hit. He saw her strike the wall with her suppressed cry. The image echoed and redoubled inside his head. (No.) With a few swift steps and a dive towards the Wise Man, Wufei snarled cruelly and brought his blade down into the back of his enemy.  
  
Letting out a bone shaking roar, Wise Man twisted around, knocking Wufei to the wall and wrenched the katana from his back. "Wretched boy!"  
  
But a burning stroke against his back brought his attention back to the Scouts. Several more attacks hit him and seemed to pound him into the wall. An unearthly scream tugged his eyes to his left, where his two dark beasts went up in drafts of smoke. The boys' rain of bullets turned suddenly to Wise Man. He could feel the bullets penetrating him and twisting his energy.  
  
With another yell, he flung energy at the boys, and saw five of them go down, not unconscious, but not a problem. One more remained. The man was leaning against the wall, crimson blood staining his white hair. He was breathing heavily from the blast he had no doubt narrowly missed. Ignoring the growing energy from the Scouts and the darts of pain that shot through him from the continuous bullets from the man, Wise Man gathered energy to him and prepared to fling the blast the insolent man would not be able to dodge.  
  
But Wise Man waited a second too long, and the Planet Attack the Scouts had been pulling hit him dead center and nearly pounded him into darkness. But, gasping heavily, he didn't fall into the void and almost laughed to feel the energy the Scouts were gathering yet again. "I will not fall to a bunch of children..." He growled and pulled every ounce of strength left in his reserve for an attack they wouldn't dodge.  
  
He felt his laugh working through his throat as he raised the energy ball above his head.  
  
Jupiter P.O.V.  
  
Peeking from under her eyelids, Jupiter saw the energy Wise Man was preparing to throw at them. She heaved at her own energy, drawing it into the ball that formed in the center of the circle. She was breathing heavily now, and could feel the others do the same. (Almost there...) She told herself and concentrated harder.  
  
Finally opening her eyes, she saw the boys drawing their guns once again on Wise Man. She worried for a moment. (No. Wise Man will concentrate this attack on us. But every little bit counts.)  
  
Suddenly, like a smack on the back of her head, the Planet Attack was finished. But so was Wise Man's. Jupiter felt the strength of her friends in the globe of swirling colors as they lifted their arms and thrust the sphere up. They felt the energy as the two attacks met and pushed against each other. The Scouts kept their hands up, sustaining the ball against his. The two energies pushed back and forth. Suddenly the ring of bullets rang through the air, and Wise Man's angry growl seemed to give the Scouts more energy.  
  
"Keep it up! He's getting weaker!" Jupiter shouted and the gunfire intensified.  
  
"You can never defeat me! I am the master of this universe!" Wise Man screamed, even as his powers weakened.  
  
"We're almost there!" Venus yelled.  
  
"No!!!" Wise Man shrieked as his power ball was overcome and it sped steadily towards him. The gunfire finally stopped as it enveloped him and exploded into a blinding flash. Then, there was darkness.  
  
Sometime later~~~~~  
  
The Scouts and boys awoke in a large, dark crater. Mars turned over slowly to see Wufei leaning over her. She smiled weakly as he picked her up slowly.  
  
"Are you hurt?" He asked quietly.  
  
"No..." She lied faintly.  
  
He smiled his usual vague smile. "We should go now." He looked around at the others. Pluto was leaning on her staff, helping a still-bleeding Zechs, Neptune was carrying Rini in her arms, Uranus had the taller Saturn slung across her hip, Duo was carrying Venus as Wufei had Mars, Quatre was supporting Mercury over his arm, Laytha was still half out, leaning on Trowa, and Jupiter was limping, with the aid of Heero.  
  
"It's over." Mars sighed.  
  
"Yes. It is." Wufei answered, carrying Mars out of the dark crater they stood in.  
  
Mars looked up at the sky and smiled. "Hey, the sun's out."  
  
The others turned their heads skywards and Mars thin laugh spread and filled the clearing.  
  
The group made their way to the palace, still in high spirits, found Serenity standing outside, exhausted herself.  
  
"You don't have to worry about any other ships of youmas. I took care of any remainders." The Scouts nodded to her and went inside to rest.  
  
Days later, Serenity altered the ground and got rid of the crater where the dark crystal had once been, and the people slowly returned and the city to make it the sparkling kingdom it once was.  
  
Laytha P.O.V.  
  
Laytha spent a bit longer than the others in bed; she had poured almost her entire energy supply simply staying awake. Trowa stayed with her all day and brought her food to keep her from wasting away. Eventually though, she was able to get up and around, with Trowa's help of course. But without being able to do much, video games became a temporary pastime. Laytha especially favored the fighting games, mainly Dead or Alive.  
  
"Yes! Take that!" Laytha yelled, pounding her controller.  
  
Trowa didn't respond, but smiled deviously as his fighter landed a roundhouse kick and flattened Laytha's character.  
  
Laytha groaned as her life points dropped down to zero. She stuck her tongue out at Trowa and pushed him playfully. He smiled at her and pushed her back. She laughed and pushed him harder. He laughed and shoved her a little too hard and she fell off the chair with a giggle and a thud.  
  
Trowa took in a short breath and leaned over to her. She smiled up at him. "I'm fine, Trowa."  
  
He breathed and smiled. "Good." He reached out and helped her back onto the chair.  
  
She kissed his cheek easily and picked up her controller. "I'll get you this time."  
  
Mercury P.O.V.  
  
Mercury too spent a little time in bed, resting, and was up and around soon. She spent most of her time in the lab or in the library, but all of her time with Quatre.  
  
He didn't seem to mind at all though; he was more than glad to be around Mercury. They read tons of books and looked over the space-time continuum, (more than needed in Pluto's opinion.)  
  
Mercury sighed as she closed her book. "I never knew how many romance novels we had in this library..."  
  
"Really?" Quatre looked up. "What did you read before?"  
  
Mercury touched her glasses thoughtfully. "Mostly just research books, and... That is about it."  
  
"That's it? Just research?" Quatre closed his book and looked at her disbelievingly.  
  
She smiled shyly. "I used to be pretty studious."  
  
Quatre leaned forward on his hands. "I think you're pretty when your not studious, too." He smiled.  
  
Mercury leaned forward and took off her glasses. "I bet you tell all the girls that."  
  
He leaned in closer. "Only you."  
  
Mercury sighed softly. "Really?" She pulled closer and they kissed softly.  
  
Jupiter P.O.V.  
  
Jupiter blocked Heero's kick easily and jumped back. Heero stepped forward and continued his assault. Finally, he dropped his guard for just long enough for Jupiter to knock his feet out from him. As usual, he took he down with him, and when they hit the ground, they stayed there.  
  
"So what will we do now?" Jupiter sighed.  
  
"We will protect Crystal Tokyo." Heero answered confidently.  
  
"And what else?" Jupiter reached up and squeezed his wrist.  
  
He looked down on her. "Do you really want me to say it?"  
  
Jupiter grinned and crawled up to him and her elbows. "No, you don't have to." She laid her head on his shoulder and put her hands around his neck.  
  
He touched her arms and tucked her head under his. Her breath brushed softly against his neck. She sighed and shifted in closer to him.  
  
"But really, if you are going to do something you should be able to say it at least."  
  
Heero looked down at her again. "Hn."  
  
Jupiter tilted her face towards his. "It's not polite to grunt..."  
  
Zechs P.O.V.  
  
Pluto spent most of her time watching over Zechs, who had gotten the most serious of injuries during the battle. Though he stayed conscious through the whole ordeal, he still had to stay in bed for almost a week while Pluto bandaged and re-bandaged his injuries. Because he slept during the day, he was awake almost every night. But Pluto kept him company during these lonely hours.  
  
Pluto unconsciously traced circles in Zechs chest as she cuddled closer into his side. Zechs shifted next to her. "Is it...healthy to be...with you while I'm still healing?" He asked, taking her tracing hand in his.  
  
Pluto laughed quietly. "As your nurse, I highly recommend it." She leaned up and kissed him, then nuzzled back into his shoulder.  
  
Zechs smiled. He put his head on hers and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. "You smell nice tonight."  
  
She kissed his shoulder. "I got some new shampoo. Maybe I'll get you some." She closed her eyes and sighed again.  
  
Pluto felt his chest rumble as he chuckled. "I don't think this scent would suit me."  
  
Pluto smiled and closed her eyes. Her fingers went back to tracing circles. Zechs looked down on her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. She stirred for a moment and sighed.  
  
Mars P.O.V.  
  
Mars healed quickly and went back to meditating in the gym while Wufei trained. He didn't seem to mind, but never spoke much, except during the evenings they spent together. Kisses had become more heated recently and soon became a frequent topic of Mars's thoughts. So while Mars tried to meditate, the previous night's kiss kept replaying through her mind.  
  
Wufei had pulled her against him more forcefully that he had before as though he feared she would run off. Mars couldn't help but blush at first, but silently yielded. But, every night, sure as anything, some noise or intrusion always called their attention away and broke the connection between them.  
  
Mars opened her eyes and checked to see that Wufei was still on the ground, doing his never-ending push-ups. She smiled. Getting up, Mars silently locked the door to the gym. It was late and almost time for dinner, but too early for an intrusion just yet. (This time we don't get interrupted.) She stopped and frowned at her own forcefulness. Wufei started to get up. Mars forgot her doubts and walked up behind him. He stopped, most likely thinking the same thing Mars was.  
  
When he turned, Mars pulled him to her and pressed her lips to hers. Mars felt his heart beat wildly in his chest as he pulled one arm around her back and the other on the back of her head, pushing her closer to him, though they were nearly the same person already. Mars breathed deeply, taking in his heavy scent as they pulled apart for a few moments air. He leaned over and trailed butterfly kisses across her neck. He glanced up at the door and laughed shortly.  
  
"No intrusions this time?"  
  
"No." Mars responded flatly and tilted his head up to her and continued the kiss.  
  
His insistent hands searched across her back. Mars pulled in a breath and pulled his hands away. "Not here..." She whispered. He sighed a response and pushed his lips over hers, forceful with need.  
  
A commanding knock at the door separated the two. Mars closed her eyes and dropped her head on Wufei's shoulder. "Not fair..." She groaned.  
  
"Dinner!" A faint voice sounded from the other side.  
  
"We should go..." Wufei whispered, almost laughing.  
  
Mars looked up at him, half exasperated, half amused herself. "Just not fair..."  
  
Duo P.O.V.  
  
Venus and Duo were in the Target Hall, playing another round of Laser Tag. Both had spent the past few days in bed, resting after the battle, but after just a few days of doing nothing, they decided to get up and find something to do.  
  
Duo dropped to the ground and listened hard for any sound of movement. There was a soft creak to his left and Duo jumped up from the low wall he was hiding behind, laser gun ready. But there was no one. Two spots of warmth on his shoulder told him he'd been tricked. Whipping around, he fired off two rounds getting nothing but muffled giggles from behind him.  
  
He twisted to see empty corners once again. Venus's voice rang out from the shadows. "Hey, big shot! What's the matter? Can't find me?"  
  
Duo suddenly found himself sprawled out on his stomach, with something heavy perched on his back. Twisting around, he saw Venus firing off round after round of the warm golden rays into his back. Duo smirked and reached up for her gun, and tossed it a few feet away. But the smirk faded as she, thinking as he was, reached out and flung his own gun away. So they both stared at the two guns lying on the floor.  
  
Taking the distraction, Duo twisted out from under Venus's grip and flipped her under him. "Hey!" She yelled, surprised to find herself on the wrong side.  
  
Duo grinned. "Hey, babe, looks like I win."  
  
"You wish." She responded slyly, pushing away for a moment, and then tackling him. But, Duo managed to twist around fast enough, and once again, getting atop a pouting Venus.  
  
"Looks like I win again." He said cockily.  
  
Venus stuck her tongue out at him. "Jerk." But she couldn't help herself and smiled. Then, at the same moment, both realized what a suggestive position they were in. And both grinned mischievously as Duo leaned down and pressed his lips to Venus's. But the moment was rudely interrupted by a loud voice coming in through the roof. "Dinner, you two." Venus rolled her eyes.  
  
"We had better go."  
  
Duo pouted for a moment, but after a poke from Venus, he got up and sauntered towards the door.  
  
"We'll continue this later..." Venus whispered as her door closed, leaving Duo to get out of his vest alone.  
  
He smiled to himself. "Yeah..."  
  
At the dinner table~~~~  
  
Rini P.O.V.  
  
Rini looked up and down the table at everyone getting their food. Her eyes dropped to Mars and Wufei. (Why do they look so flushed?) She shrugged to herself and bit into her biscuit. But her eyes wandered down the table again. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of her friends. (We're all such a big, happy family. Hm. It's like I have some new brothers or something.) She smiled again. (One big, happy family.)  
  
So, so, so. That was my last chapter my friends, yes this story is over. I have to say, I won't be doing a sequel, but if anyone else wants to continue this, just e-mail me or something to let me know so I can read it. Anyway, I will be starting a new fic, (still GW/SM) and I want you all to read it. It is tentatively called To Love a Fire Goddess. (I know, the title needs work.) But this one will be Rei/Wufei centered, and both of their families want them to be married, but they don't want to. And also about the troubles Rei and the girls go through to keep their Scout lives a secret from Rei's chauvinistic husband-to-be. Well, I'll see you there! Bye! (p.s. I still want you to review me!!!) 


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